Have we found the Holy Grail of wine industry?

Apr 18 2008 by Jane Hall, The Journal

PINOT Noir is the Holy Grail of the wine industry. The great black grape from Burgundy is so difficult to get right, but its best wines are incomparably delicious. Because good Pinot Noir is in short supply it can be expensive. It’s no surprise that this has driven grape growers the world over to see if they can come up with the goods.

Results have been, to say the least, rather mixed. Romanian Pinot Noir, much easier to find 10 years ago, had the great advantage of being cheap, but often tasted of boiled beetroot. California seemed less promising than the more northerly US states of Oregon and Washington, but the gritty Californians were not to be out-done and pulled out all the stops to make fine Pinot Noir – as anyone who’s watched Sideways will know.

Chilean Pinot Noir remains a bit of a closed book to me. Like much that’s grown in the warm vineyards of southern France, I often find it too chunky and tannic. I’ve tasted a few good bottles from the coolest parts of South Africa and more from Tasmania and Victoria. Alsace and Germany efforts have been generally weedy until recently, but over the last decade it’s New Zealand that has come closest to challenging the best of Burgundy with some spectacular bottles. This has prompted Burgundy to pull its socks up. In the north of the region, near Chablis, Pinot Noir tended to be a bit lean and green, but global warming has allowed the better growers in places like Irancy and Coulanges to make some seriously good red wine.

The finest and most expensive Pinot Noirs in the world are made from grapes grown along the great Côte d’Or (the “golden hillside”), running south from Dijon – the heart of Burgundy. It’s divided into two. The northerly part, the Côtes de Nuits (after Nuits St Georges) has the swankiest labels. The 2005 vintage was superlative, but the lighter 2006s are pretty good too. The wines of Nuits St Georges itself can be a bit hard (judged by Burgundy’s silky standards), but the great wines of its neighbours just to the north are as fine as anything I’ve ever tasted.

In particular, I was bowled over when Anne Gros treated me to a glass of her Richebourg 2006. This is as good as it gets – very, very rich and spicy with an amazingly satin-like texture, leading into a concentrated taste of red and black fruits that seems to go on for ever before ending with a twist of licorice. This sensational wine has not yet been bottled for sale, but can already be ordered from a few select merchants.

Adnams (www.adnams.co.uk ), for example, offer a box of six bottles for a cool £650, though you’ll also have to pay tax and VAT on it when it finally arrives in the UK. It will be snapped up quickly, so unless you’re prepared to splash out, you’ll miss out. I’m afraid I’ll have to miss out, but I’ll never forget that mouthful.

The southern part of the Côte d’Or is the Côte de Beaune. Beaune itself makes some very good, much more affordable wines, though my favourite appellations are the relatively unsung and cheaper wines of Savigny, Santenay and Auxey Duresses. A little further south and the Côte d’Or gives way to the rolling hills of the Côte Chalonnaise. The most famous names for Pinot Noir are Mercurey, Rully and Givry. Here, at last, some classy red wines are made for something like bargain prices (for what they are). One of my favourite Givry producers is Michel Sarrazin. Something of his style, with vivid red fruit flavours can be enjoyed in his “basic” red Burgundy (“Bourgogne Rouge”) 2006 for a much more reasonable £8.49 from Majestic.

Like 99% of the wine sold as red Burgundy it’s 100% Pinot Noir. The Côte Chalonnaise is blessed with a number of younger growers determined to make the best wine possible. A name to look out for in the future is Erell Ninot, who took over her family domain in Rully in 2003. I’ve seldom tasted such fantastically fruity, perfumed red wines. Like Anne Gros, she’s also committed to organic viticulture – but neither woman makes any great song and dance about this decision.

In case you find all this talk of great and expensive wines just a bit frustrating, join me in a bottle of red Burgundy 2006 from the excellent Côte Chalonnaise co-op of Buxy. It’s the real thing and costs just £5.99 at Majestic. Or else raise a glass to the kindly growers of Marsannay who have just celebrated 10 years of being able to bottle their red wine under the name of their village, just outside Dijon. The gentle 2000 from the Château de Marsannay is a very reasonable £9.99, also from Majestic.

Wine bites

PINOT Noir has been a big hit in New Zealand in recent years, but aromatic wine grapes are the other great success story.

Sauvignon Blanc is the best known, but Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer seem to get better with every new vintage.

Villa Maria is not only one of the largest and best value producers, but also one of the most exciting. The 2007 wines in its “Private Bin” range are terrific, and easy to find. Marlborough Riesling is my favourite. It’s fairly dry with deliciously zesty lemon and honey fruit, with a hint of mineral salts and sherbet.

It costs around £7.99 from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Majestic and Thresher. East Coast Pinot Gris (£8.99 at Waitrose) has almost a pink tinge. It’s soft and ripe with spicy melon fruit – and is just off-dry. East Coast Gewurztraminer (£8.99 at Waitrose and Majestic) is even spicier (especially on the aftertaste), with the scent of sweet banana and rose petals. All three wines are particularly good with slightly spicy Asian cuisine.

Wine of the week

Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir, Les Climats 2004, Louis Jadot, £12.99 Tesco

RIPE, fruity Pinot Noir from one of Burgundy's great houses, with the flavour of cherries and raspberries dusted with a little spicy oak. It has enough tannin and acidity to partner red meat or game really well.