How to Buy New World Pinot Noir Without Getting Burned

How to Buy New World Pinot Noir Without Getting Burned

Pinot Noir is the most producer-dependent grape in the world — more than almost any other variety, the same fruit in different hands produces completely different results. Saturday's practical episode covers the key questions to ask before buying: the clone question and why it matters, how to read oak influence on a label, the vintages worth seeking in each region, value picks at every price point, and the sommelier script that gets you exactly what you want.

Chile & Beyond — The Frontier Regions

The most exciting frontier in global Pinot Noir right now isn't Oregon or New Zealand — it's the places most people haven't heard of yet. Friday's episode covers the emerging Pinot Noir regions of Chilean Patagonia and the Bio-Bio Valley, where extreme southerly latitudes and cool climates are producing wines of startling freshness and complexity. Then a quick look at what Australia's Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula are doing with the grape, and why South Africa's Walker Bay is worth paying attention to.

New Zealand — Intensity at the Edge of the World

New Zealand produces Pinot Noir at the world's southernmost wine regions — and that extreme geography shows in the glass. Today's episode covers the three key New Zealand Pinot Noir zones: Central Otago, with its dramatic diurnal temperature swings and intensely colored, concentrated wines; Marlborough, known for Sauvignon Blanc but producing surprisingly serious Pinot; and Martinborough, a small zone north of Wellington producing wines with a precision and elegance that echoes Burgundy more than anywhere else in the country.

California — Four Regions, One Grape, Endless Variety

California produces more different styles of Pinot Noir than anywhere else in the New World — and understanding why requires understanding the geography. Today's episode walks through the four major California Pinot Noir regions: Russian River Valley's silky, strawberry-scented style; the wild, windswept Sonoma Coast; Santa Barbara's two very different valleys; and the cool, foggy Santa Cruz Mountains. Four regions, four personalities, one grape.

Oregon: The Most Burgundian Place Outside of France

Oregon's Willamette Valley has been making a serious case for world-class Pinot Noir for over fifty years, and in the last decade that case has become undeniable. Today's episode covers the geography of the Willamette Valley, why the Van Duzer Corridor and the Eola-Amity Hills produce some of the most precise and mineral Pinot Noir outside Burgundy, the key sub-appellations to know, and the producers whose names on a label are a reliable signal of extraordinary quality.