Outside of Burgundy, Pinot Noir is cropping up in some remote corners of the world.
When it comes to Pinot Noir – especially the world's most wanted – the mind naturally wanders to France's Burgundy and that's where it most likely stays.
You wouldn't be wrong. When it came to trawling Wine-Searcher's ocean-like database of the world's most wanted Pinot Noir, you have to scroll through – depending on the day – at least one and a half pages before you get to the first Pinot Noir listed that doesn't come from France's hallowed ground.
To scrape together 10 that come from elsewhere, you likely have to scroll at least pages. That's 10 wines in a sea of 175 Pinot Noirs that don't come from Burgundy.
Where these chosen few do come from, however, may leave you surprised. The first surprise to top this list is the Pinot Noir by Gantenbein Winery – run by husband and wife team, Daniel and Marta – in the Swiss region of Graubunden.
It's possibly not widely known that Switzerland is a keen winemaking country. However, as the vast majority of it is very happily drunk domestically, consumers outside of the Playground of Europe barely get a look in.
The Gantenbein Pinot Noir has been consistently highly rated, scoring an aggregated score of 93 points. Falstaff described the 2019 vintage as being "complex, with notes of cool fruit … an elegant bouquet, red currants, raspberries, strawberries and sour cherries". However, it also comes at the grand price of USD 269.
The second wine – by Akarua – lies in more familiar territory, the cool, craggy slopes of New Zealand's Central Otago. The estate boasts vineyards in Bannockburn's Cairnmuir, Central Otago's prime real estate for Pinot Noir.
Scoring an aggregate of 90 points, Akarua Pinot Noir is wanted for a reason. Raymond Chan described it as "rich and elegantly full, filled the glass with vanilla, cinnamon enriched by earth and game, underlying blackberries, cherries". The wine is also terrifically good value, coming in at USD 23.
Number three is from an altogether different part of the world. The evocatively named Sea Smoke – named after the salty sea mists that roll through the hills – and the Ten Pinot Noir. Grown in California's Sta Rita Hills, these cool maritime conditions are idyllic for the delicate red grape.
Named after the 10 Pinot Noir clones found on Sea Smoke Estates, the wine has an aggregated critic score of 93 points. Wine Enthusiast described it as having "candied strawberry and raspberry aromas spiced by cinnamon, sumac and peppercorn". At USD 138, it sits comfortably within the pack.
Fourth is another Californian wonder, the Freestone-Occidental Pinot Noir, from the Sonoma Coast. The Occidental Winery was founded in 2011 by Steve Kistler of Kistler Vineyards fame. While the Occident grandly refers to the Western world, the wine focuses on red-cherry fruit with a salty tang.
A hit with the critics, the wine currently boasts an aggregated score of 93 points and is described as "crystalline, bright, mouthwatering, and a bit salty with a saline mineral finish", all for USD 83.
The World's Most Wanted Pinot Noir on Wine-Searcher:
Wine Name | Score | Ave Price | |
---|---|---|---|
Weingut Daniel & Marta Gantenbein Pinot Noir | 93 | $269 | |
Akarua Pinot Noir | 90 | $23 | |
Sea Smoke Ten Pinot Noir | 93 | $138 | |
Occidental-Kistler Vineyards Freestone-Occidental Pinot Noir | 93 | $83 | |
Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir | 92 | $131 | |
Domaine Takahiko Nana-Tsu-Mori Pinot Noir | 93 | $487 | |
Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir | 93 | $270 | |
Marcassin Marcassin Vineyard Pinot Noir | 94 | $418 | |
Bischofliches Weingut Rudesheim Assmannshausen Pinot Noir Trocken | 91 | $21 | |
Ata Rangi Pinot Noir | 93 | $67 |
Number five is a second entry from Sea Smoke, this time the Southing Pinot Noir. The name refers to the south-facing hillsides the vines are grown on and the resulting wine is a fine, delicate expression of the grape. The critics love it, scoring it an aggregate of 92 points; Wine Enthusiast described it as having "fruity and juicy aromas of alpine strawberry and raspberry compote elevated by elegant lavender and violet touches". However, it also comes in at USD 131.
Number six is where this list takes a truly unpredictable turn, all the way to Japan's most northerly snow-capped island of Hokkaido. Domaine Takahiko was founded in 2010 by Takahiko Soga and specializes in a small but exquisite range of Pinot Noir.
Passionate about producing wines that work in harmony with both Japan's natural world and its cuisine, Soga's wines are each carefully crafted with the Nana-Tsu-Mori no exception. 100 percent Pinot Noir, the wine then spends 12 months aging in barrel.
With an aggregated score of 93 points, the estate describes the wine as being "inspired by the scent of a forest, and includes scents such as beetroot, matsutake, lemon balm, plum, truffle, strawberry, mint, pine tar, bonito flakes, cherry, black currant, violet, clove, sandalwood, black tea, and kelp". Heady stuff indeed, except you'll have to fork out a breezy USD 487 to try it.
Lucky number seven sees a return to more traditional territory, Bass Phillip's Premium Pinot Noir. Bass Philip is a premium Pinot Noir producer in Australia's Gippsland. One of Australia's cooler wine regions, Gippsland is also home to a giant earthworm that does a fine job of fertilizing the soils. The Premium Pinot Noir is a favorite with the critics, garnering an aggregated critic score of 93 points. Wine Enthusiast described is as "a slinky, sexy wine", all for a cool USD 271.
Taking eighth place is the last Californian to make this list, the Marcassin Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. Marcassin is the passion project of celebrated winemaker Helen Turley and her viticulturist husband, John Wetlaufer.
Turley's touch can be found in many of California's top wines from Pahlmeyer to the Peter Michael Winery, however, her own Marcassin label has become widely recognized as setting a benchmark for Californian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The French for young wild boar, Marcassin lives up to its name. With an aggregated score of 94, Jeff Leve described it as having notes of "mint, truffle, licorice, black raspberry, earth, spice and citrus". Everything you would expect from a forest beast's foraging; however, you'll also have to dig up USD 421.
Number nine takes us back to Europe one more time, to Germany's Rheingau region and Assmannshausen Pinot Noir by Bischofliches Weingut Rudesheim. One of the Rheingau's oldest wineries, there are records of the former monastery possibly dating back to the 11th Century.
Their Assmannshausen Pinot Noir has proved a consistent hit with the critics, scoring an aggregate of 91 points. Falstaff described it as having "ethereal, herbal-spicy notes dominate, slate, cranberry, raspberry, crème brûlée." It's also incredibly reasonably priced, coming in at USD 22.
Last but not least, sees a return to New Zealand and Martinborough's perennially popular Ata Rangi Pinot Noir. The cool, windswept hills of Martinborough lie at the bottom of the country's North Island and are known for producing deep, earthy Pinot Noirs.
Founded in 1980 by Cliva Paton, Ata Rangi means "dawn sky" or "new beginning" in the Maori language, and the estate has gone on to become one of Martinborough's leading producers. Boasting an aggregate critic score of 93, Wine Enthusiast described the wine as having "ample fruit concentration (think blueberry and strawberry jam) underpinned by cloves, black pepper, dried herbs, spices and florals". It's also superbly priced, coming in at an average of USD 67.
So when it comes to the world's most wanted Pinot Noir outside of the grape's spiritual heartland of Burgundy, the journey is well and truly global. Despite being a notoriously tricky grape to grow, it has found its way to some surprising parts of the world.
From the Land of the Long White Cloud to the Land of the Rising Sun, Pinot Noir has well and truly left home.
Source: Wine-Searcher