North American Pinot NoirPinot noir, the famously elegant, sexy, and capricious red grape of Burgundy, is finally producing impressive wines in North America. Credit talented winemakers, enthusiastic restaurateurs, and consumers in search of alternatives to cabernet and zinfandel. Considered perhaps the ultimate food wine, pinot noir has an allure based on its special combination of aromas, flavors, and mouthfeel; on its legendary capacity to reflect the terroir where it is grown; and on its reputation for being hard to grow and make. This is the definitive work on pinot noir in North America. A comprehensive reference for winemakers and aficionados as well as a sourcebook for casual enthusiasts, it includes extensive historical and viticultural background on pinot noir in the New World and profiles of six dozen prominent producers in California, Oregon, British Columbia, and New York. John Winthrop Haeger, known for his perceptive wine writing for more than fifteen years, gives contextual and comparative information about pinot noir in Burgundy and then tells the story of wine producers' early failures, frustrations, and breakthroughs in North America. He discusses plant genetics and clones, identifies the essential conditions for really good pinot, tells where the best wines are grown and made, and analyzes the factors that determine wine styles and signatures. In the second part of the book, he presents detailed producer profiles with accessibly written tasting notes on recent and mature vintages. A final section covers glassware, vintages, wine and food pairings, and other matters of interest to consumers. Maps prepared especially for this book cover all the major pinot-producing regions in North America. |
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acres of pinot Anderson Valley aromas berries Bien Nacido black fruit black pepper blend block bottling Brix budwood Burgundian Burgundy cabernet sauvignon California Cellars Chalone chardonnay chewy clove cola cold soak color County cuvée dark Dijon Dijon clones estate vineyard fermentation fermentors finish flavors François Frères growers harvest Hills hint leather licorice light to medium lots malolactic medium black-red medium garnet medium-dark black-red medium-length medium-weight Mount Eden mouth Napa North American pinot nose Oregon palate percent picked pinot noir planted practical information producers purchased Ranch raspberry resin Ridge ripe Rochioli Russian River valley Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Maria Valley Santa Rita Hills selection slightly grippy soils Sonoma Coast spice sweet tank tannins tasted in 2002 tasting notes tasting room temperatures terra-cotta terroir texture Transparent UCD 2A varieties vines Vineyard tasted vineyard-designated wines vinifera vintage vintners viticulture Willamette Valley Williams Selyem winegrowers winemaking winery yeast