TheBurg

46 | theburgnews.com | 04.18 Ace and Able Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 2015 $29.99 | Code: 78550 " e Second Growth Dundee Hills Pinot Noir is a complex wine that delivers notes of black cherry, clove, nutmeg and cocoa. It finishes with brooding depth and rich silky tannins." -Winemaker's Notes Cultivate Pinot Noir Monterey County 2015 $12.99 | Code: 78838 "Bright aromas of fresh strawberries and pomegranate backed by richer notes of cranberry, boysenberry and a touch of vanilla spice. On the palate, pleasant flavors of ripe raspberry transition into secondary herbal notes of rose petals and green tea. Soft tannins and bright acidity lend structure and body to the blend, leading to a seamless floral finish." -Winemaker's Notes Alfredo Roca Reserva de Familia Pinot Noir San Rafael 2013 $22.99 | Code 15127 "Offers a mix of red and black cherry fruit aromas, with complex spice notes leading a palate of soft, silky tannins. An elegant wine of great finesse, with a long, persistent finish." – Winemaker's Notes Pinot noW is legendary red wine is more available, in greater variety, than ever before. bY steVe JuLIAnA O f all the seven "noble" grapes, pinot noir is, I believe, the one that produces the most evocative, beautiful and, some would say, sexy wine. is finicky, thin-skinned grape is unique in its ability to make a balanced quaff that is more acidic than tannic. Garnet in color, the wine has great drinkability when it is young and amazing complexity when aged. e flavors on the palate are cherries and berries, while the nose is violets and barnyard. It has become a universal grape with plantings in most temperate zones around the world. Boosted in reputation by the film "Sideways," pinot noir is almost never blended, as other grapes overpower its subtle flavors and nuances. But there is an important exception. To produce Champagne, it is commonly combined with Chardonnay and pinot meunier, making the world's best and most expensive sparkling wine. Pinot noir is French for "black pine" as the tight clusters of fruit with small berries are said to resemble pinecones. e dark grape reaches its pinnacle of expression in the northern region of Burgundy, where it has been grown since at least medieval times. Fine Burgundies are much sought after and have the reputation for being the world's most expensive wines. Because it's an "Old World" wine, the bottles will have the name of the village and the name of the grower. ere are no dominant wineries, so choose carefully, but definitely try some. In the United States, the West Coast is pinot noir country. Oregon has huge areas dedicated to this grape, mostly in the Willamette and Umpqua valleys. e wines there benefit from the cool climate, so they are closer to true Burgundies than any other region where pinot is grown. As with any good wine, each producer bottles a variation on a theme, so the differences are worth exploring. California makes wonderful pinot noir in its cooler growing areas, most notably in the Russian River Valley, Carneros region and, my favorite, the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County. ese wines are very fruit-forward, and some have the characteristic "cherry cola" flavor. ey're great, easy-drinking quaffs. New Zealand has become a haven for the hard-to-grow grape and serves as a foil to the amount of Sauvignon Blanc that comes from the island nation. Much of the wine is young. Great, older wines are also available but can be expensive. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the amount of good pinot coming from Germany. e southern part of the country has embraced the French grape with results that seem at odds within the riesling country. e wines are light in color with good fruit and nice texture considering their pale, ruby color. It's a wonderful quaff from a region where white wines dominate. Keep sipping, Steve

• Cover