Robinson on pinot

Jancis Robinson is the unchallenged doyenne of English language wine writers. Her accomplishments include editorship of The Oxford Companion to Wine and The World Atlas of Wine, heavy duty tomes the pair. Her comparatively slender How to Taste was originally published in 1983. An updated and revised edition of this title has just appeared, and it was while leafing through it the other day that I was struck by just how sensible and straightforward her approach is.

Here she is on pinot noir, for example: A good Pinot is slightly sweet and and definitely more gently perfumed than the rather uncompromising Cabernet. Tannin is much less marked, for pinot is considerable less "pippy" [seedy] and the skins are much thinner. Most Pinots have considerably less body than the average Cabernet and their appeal is perhaps more subtle. Some tasters describe the scent of pinot as boiled beets, others as dead game. In young Pinots there is the very definite smell of raspberries, while in middle age it takes on definite vegetal or mushroomy overtones. That kind of clear, plainspoken English that strives for nothing more than to communicate is as rare as it is useful.

Later in the same section, Robinson explains why there are relatively few areas where quality pinot can be produced: Pinot is a grape that ripens relatively early, so, to make interesting wine, it has to be grown somewhere relatively cool, so that the growing season is long enough to develop sufficient flavor elements. She goes on to mention the Russian River Valley in California's Sonoma region as one place where creditable New World pinot can be made.

Tonight, I have a date to taste with Mike Sullivan, winemaker at Benovia winery in Sonoma, where pinot and chardonnay are the focus. I have to admit, I struggle to appreciate California pinot noir, even from the coolest, most pinot-friendly areas. Look for my impressions here tomorrow.

Meanwhile, you might be thinking about who on your gift list this holiday season would benefit from spending a little time with Jancis.