The Facts about Pinot Noir 

Pinot Noir makes a lighter wine then Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and more then one great Cabernet maker in California has been heard to say that if they had it to do over again they would have chosen Pinot Noir.  The biggest reason most vintners are inclined to choose Cab over Pinot is because Cab first and foremost sell well in the U.S. market and indeed world wide and secondly it is a steady producer.  

Pinot can be more finicky and challenging to produce consistently great wines with.  However with challenge comes the opportunity for perfection and indeed a great Pinot Noir can be one of the world's greatest wines.

Pinot noir thrives in France's Burgundy region, particularly in the Côte d'Or which has produced some of the world's most celebrated wines for centuries. It is also planted in Germany, Switzerland, Australia, California, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and Chile, with some of the best regarded coming from California's Sonoma County with its Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast productions.  

Over all Pinot Noir wine tends to be of light to medium body with an aroma reminiscent of black cherry, raspberry or currant. The grape's color when young, often compared to that of garnet, is often much lighter than that of other red wines. This is because pinot noir has relatively small amounts of red pigment due to its thin skin.

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