Pinot Noir Viticulture
The fact that this grape is associated with the difficulty of its cultivation has given it a reputation as “shameless”: Francis Robinson described Pinot as a “mischievous vine”, while André Tchelistcheff described the grape as “God made Cabernet Sauvignon and the Devil made Pinot Noir”. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Grenache are less susceptible to wind, heat and drought.
Viticulture
The grape produces some of the finest wines in the world, but with complex vinification, the nightmare of winemakers.
This variety can thrive in cold climates, its clusters are medium in size and compact, and its stems are short, non-lignified and blue-black in color with fine skin. Its flesh is not pigmented, it is soft and tasty, with an herbal character. It also has a favorable early harvest.
The strain is subject to viticultural hazards, such as rot, as well as to meticulous canopy management.
The strain Pinot Noir (Vitis vinifera) is widely known for the difficulties faced by wine producers both in cultivation and winemaking, due to its sensitivity to certain fungal wood diseases, to the cold of spring, to excessive summer temperatures, to sunburn on its fruits, and to the fact that it does not mature properly under poorly controlled irrigation, which gives rise to very acidic and poorly colored musts that do not reach a sufficient sugar level to fermentation.
It is also considered a genetically unstable vine and, therefore, tends to produce inconsistent fruits and very diverse yields.
Since the production of the best wine requires meticulous attention to every detail, as well as a deep knowledge of wine regions and skill in making wine, Pinot Noir must be cultivated under careful control and careful management to produce a good harvest.
The wines produced by this strain are light-colored, medium-bodied wines with low tannin levels.
Wines of this variety have a variable and very unpredictable aging, in which they may undergo a “silent phase” (in which flavors and smells are not appreciated).
Newer versions of the variety show aromas of red fruits, cherries, raspberries and strawberries dancing through your noses in a very elegant way. As they age, they may develop vegetable and herbal aromas (undergrowth).
Pinot noir grapes tend to be smaller than those of Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, and the grape is usually less robust than those varieties. The clusters are conical-cylindrical, reminiscent of a pineapple, and have a strange shape. Some viticultural scholars believe that this feature is the origin of its name.
The style of wine produced from Pinot Noir depends largely on the region in which it is cultivated, as well as on other factors such as climate, frost, number of shoots (which decrease yield), soil type and pruning techniques.
It is also sensitive to fermentation methods, to yeast strains and to the unique environment of the area, producing wines that vary widely depending on the location.
Botrytis cinerea and other similar fungal diseases affect vines in Burgundy (and elsewhere), leaving trees rot (Botrytis cinerea) and other similar fungal diseases related to clusters. Leaf curl infection and the GFLV virus, also called fanlief, are also common in Burgundy vineyards.
We will continue to upload more information about this noble and ancient strain.