A Family Like No Other: Pinot

By Sylvia Jansen, DipWSET, CSW, Sommelier

Like other old families, this one has its share of nobles. It has some unknowns, and of course, we know of a few renegades. As the family has migrated across borders, it has adopted new languages and changed its name accordingly. There are some notable differences among family members, but some interesting similarities. The Pinot family may just be the most remarkable wine grape family in existence.

“Pinot” is not just the first word in many French grapevine varieties; it is also the genetic link among them. The general variety known as “Pinot” is estimated to be at least 2,000 years old. Compare this with the upstart Cabernet Sauvignon (offspring of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc), which did not appear in vineyards until the late 18th century, and you can begin to get a sense of the importance of Pinot’s ancient roots.

Within the general variety, there are many, many variations, some of which have become known as separate grape varieties. (The sidebar tells the secrets of variations on this theme.) The oldest variety, with the darkest skin, became known as the black Pinot (hence “Noir”). The other Pinot varieties are actually variations of Pinot Noir: the white one (where berries are white/green) is Pinot Blanc, for white wine only. Ripe grapes for Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio show themselves as grey, or grey/blue, or brown/pink, something approaching red but not quite.

A little-known fact is that the variety known in France as “Meunier” is actually another Pinot: Pinot Meunier. Meunier translates to “the miller” because its vine leaves have a downy underside, as though dusted with flour.

There are estimated to be a thousand members of the Pinot family (including multiple clones of the ones we know best), but the most widely travelled are Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Meunier. Grapevine scientists have estimated that the origins of the family are indeed French, and probably Burgundian, hence the well-known French names.

As for the family resemblance, there are a few similarities— though we cannot make sweeping generalizations. In the vineyard, the Pinot varieties show grape bunches that are roughly shaped like a pine cone (sounds like Pinot—not a coincidence). Whatever expression is in the glass; whether the colour is red, white, rosé, or orange;* whether it is dry, sweet, or somewhere between, the Pinot family can be capable of greatness. Well-made Pinots will have balanced, sometimes lively acidity, and these wines can have positively entrancing aromatics. Generally speaking, its vines do not like really hot climates, and its wines tend to lose their charm if the weather has been too warm. In winemaking, they are seldom blended; rather, they often play solo parts. Beyond these connections, it is a big, varied world for Pinot.

*See page 25 for a crash course on orange wine!

From its original home in Burgundy, the family moved, first within Europe and later widely. Migrating north in France, the family found a home in Champagne. The current list of approved grape varieties for the world’s most luxurious sparkling wine includes all of the important Pinots. In fact, Pinot Meunier is so reliably used in Champagne blends that its plantings there are surpassed only by Pinot Noir. These two Pinots account for close to 70% of plantings in Champagne (Chardonnay accounts for almost all the remaining). It is not widely known, but Champagne regulations actually allow for a few others that appear from time to time in tiny quantities. Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are, importantly, in that list.

Further east in France, the family made a home in Alsace. This region is arguably where the noblest expression of Pinot Gris can be found: this is the only Pinot that can qualify as a Grand Cru in Alsace. Pinot Blanc makes itself useful in Alsace sparkling Crémant, and their Pinot Noir wines can be positively delicious.

Travelling with medieval monasteries, the Pinot family also found themselves in Germany, adopting new German names. The Germans recognized their first home and dubbed them “Burgunder:” predictably Pinot Blanc became Weissburgunder and Pinot Gris, Grauburgunder. Pinot Noir, the latest to ripen, became Spätburgunder (Spät means late in German), and the miller’s grape was translated directly as Müller-rebe. Name-changing translations continued in Italy, where Noir became Nero, Blanc became Bianco, and Gris became Grigio (which has come to have a life of its own).

As the family has migrated around the world, the reputation has grown. To explore the Pinots is to find a remarkable richness in wine.

Species, Varieties, Cultivars, and Clones

By Gary Hewitt, DipWSET, CWE, FWS, Sommelier

The topic of Pinots is a portal into a world of viticultural terms.

Start with the naming of the grapevine according to its genus and species, Vitus vinifera, a term that covers the vast majority of all commercially important wine grapes. Although consumers may be unconcerned with the grapevine’s Latin name, they do pay attention to a wine’s grape variety as they recognize their favourite varietal wines under names such as Chardonnay, Merlot, Zibibbo— and of course, Pinot. Within a variety, there are specific cultivars (cultivated varieties) that share the general character of the variety but differ in some traits important to winegrowers. Very demanding growers may go a step further and select clones: genetically identical vines with a direct lineage to a single parent.

Increasingly and especially for Pinot Noir, New World producers are providing details of the specific clones used in their wines. They do so because each clone is slightly different, and they claim that a combination of clones increases wine complexity. This is a modern concern because, historically, mature vineyards developed a natural genetic diversity that resulted in wine complexity. But there is a caveat in that such natural diversity leads to more and less desirable vines. In order to continually improve a vineyard and maintain diversity, growers learned to repeatedly select a handful of their best vines for onward propagation (massal selection).