Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is the primary red grape of Burgundy, Champagne, Oregon and New Zealand. It is a temperamental thin-skinned grape that is sensitive to light exposure, pruning and soil types, generally low-yielding and highly susceptible to rot and fungal diseases. However, it can produce some of the world’s most sought-after and attractive wines, particularly from Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. Depending on its origins, wines produced with Pinot Noir exhibit a range of aromas, textures and flavors, but are commonly light to medium bodied with red berry and earthy characteristics. You can use Wine Enthusiast’s online Buying Guide to find the top-rated Pinot Noir among our extensive Pinot Noir wine reviews and easy-to-use database. Our Pinot Noir reviews will give you a general idea what to expect from wines made from Pinot Noir, and will help you find one that best suits your needs. Read on to learn more about Pinot Noir wines listed below, or, if you prefer white wine, check out our Pinot Grigio ratings.
Domaine Romanée Conti 2000 La Tache Pinot Noir
- Cellar Selection
- $400
Truly glorious and incredibly seductive in the nose, with a complex but also subtle swirl of fruit, herbs and spice. Bold, sleek and velvety on the palate, with a distinct core that is pleasingly redolent of fresh-picked grape stems, but surrounded by ripe raspberry and cherry flavors. It evens out with hints of leather, toast, crème brûlée, rose petals, citrus and…
— W.E.
(10/1/2003)
Louis Jadot 2002 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Pinot Noir (Gevrey-Chambertin)
- $140
This is one of the great Burgundies of 2002. It shows the power of the year, with huge black fruits and dense tannins. But it also shows the charm, with ripeness that promises a precocious development as well as long aging.
— R.V.
(9/1/2004)
Tantara 2004 Evelyn Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $80
Stunning. Just magnificent. This is from Tantara’s little Bien Nacido block. It achieves wonderfully ripe fruit flavors with clean, balancing tannins and acids to produce the utmost California cool-climate Pinot Noir. Cherries, raspberries, cola, rich new oak and Asian spice flavors all flood the palate, wrapped into a dramatic silky, velvety texture. This is great…
— S.H.
(12/31/2006)
Domaine des Lambrays 2004 Clos des Lambrays Pinot Noir (Clos de Lambrays)
- $110
To say this is textbook Pinot Noir is to do this stunning wine an injustice. But it does have everything that should be in a great Pinot Noir—the sumptuousness, the silky tannins, the touch of wood, the red fruits. All of these are enveloped in an elegant structure, leaving freshness and delicious, refreshing acidity at the end.
— R.V.
(3/1/2007)
Williams Selyem 2005 Precious Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
- $85
This is among the lightest in color of Williams Selyem’s ‘05 Pinots, and also the most delicate in texture. But yields were very low, and the wine has a fantastically concentrated taste of wild raspberries, as well as crisp, stimulating acidity. Despite the elegance, it’s enormously complex, with tiers of oak-influenced cola, herb tea, pomegranate, vanilla and…
— S.H.
(2/1/2008)
Talley 2005 Rosemary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Arroyo Grande Valley)
- Editors' Choice
- $70
This is a great 2005 Pinot Noir, the best ever from Talley. The wine somehow combines huge ripe fruit with delicacy. It floods the mouth with profound currant, cherry pie, licorice, cola, raspberry, cocoa and vanilla smoke flavors, yet feels light and silky, and is thoroughly dry. That’s the magic of Pinot Noir. You can enjoy this small production wine now, and it…
— S.H.
(3/1/2008)
Louis Jadot 2005 Pinot Noir (Corton-Pougets)
- Cellar Selection
- $95
A supremely integrated wine, its richness and beautiful fruit just part of a story that starts with intense aromas and segues on the palate into a balance of tannins, dark red fruits, enveloping acidity and a beautifully orchestrated finale of berries, spice and aching freshness.
— R.V.
(8/1/2008)
Arista 2005 Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley)
- $54
Showing the superb structure of the vintage and the spectacular way this great vineyard can ripen Pinot Noir, this polished wine is not only delicious from the get-go, but ageable. Floods the mouth with lush black cherry, red currant, cola, sweet oak, anise, vanilla and cinnamon spice flavors that go on and on. A memorable wine that should slowly gather steam and…
— S.H.
(10/1/2008)
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