Last weekend my lovely wife Laura popped in to B&Q for some raspberry canes which needed to be planted ideally before March. She came home with raspberry canes and a Pinot Noir vine.
I’m romantically imagining that in just a few years we’ll have a commercially viable Pinot with the structure and depth of a perfectly aged Nuits-Saint-Georges and the approachability of one of the great Oregon Pinots. At that point we can decide whether to sell Smiley Pete’s Perfectly Palatable Pinot Noir 2022 (available in all good wine merchants for just £50 or thereabouts), or simply to enjoy the fruits of our labour ourselves. I expect we’ll drink most, if not all of it ourselves.
Pinot Noir is traditionally one of the hardest grapes to grow, as it needs absolutely perfect conditions which can only be found in a few places in the world. These places include Burgundy, Oregon, Otago and (hopefully) the southside of Glasgow. I’ll let you know how we get on, but in the meantime here are a few commercially viable wines that you can buy this weekend.
Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravieres Maison de Tastelune 2012 (M&S, £35). Santenay, a small village in the Cote de Beaune in Burgundy, has no grand cru vineyards and this lovely wine is from one of only twelve premier cru sites. So, it’s one of the best wines made locally, hence the price. It neighbours the Chassagne-Montrachet vineyards where some of the best white wines in the world are produced. As the area is more suited to white production, the reds are naturally more delicate and elegant in the glass. It is absolutely gorgeous, and it’s definitely worth the money if you want to treat yourself…especially if mushroom risotto is on the menu.
Kings Ridge Oregon Pinot Noir 2016 (Inverarity One to One, £15.99). This beautifully accessible wine hails from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and you’d be hard pushed to find a nicer new world Pinot for the money. This is my favourite wine to go with a simply cooked pork loin.
Roaring Meg Mt Difficulty Central Otago Pinot Noir 2015 (Majestic Wine Warehouse, £19.99). Although this is still an expensive wine, it’s fantastic value for money for a new world Pinot in a classic Burgundy style. It's lovely with rabbit, or venison burgers with a big salad. Cheers!
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