Pinot noir is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines produced predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for "pine" and "black" alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine
It is the mature Pinot Noir's complex flavours of the raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, violets, game, compost, allspice, tobacco and hay, coupled with its silky, velvety texture, that is so captivating. Pinot Noir is the most precocious of the fine wine grapes to grow and vinfy. Relatively low in tannin and acidity, it needs a cool climate.