14. Problems in Pinot Land
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(1996 Hanzell Pinot Noir from Sonoma County. Notice the color: red – not opaque.
Photo by Randy Peterson)
What’s been happening to California Pinot Noir? In the 1970s and 1980s, Burgundy was the model - the Holy Grail – of California Pinot Noir producers. Over the years, they got better at making Pinots with good fruit and aroma (real “varietal character”), if not with as much structure and elegance as Burgundy. But in the 2000s, California Pinot Noir has been changing and moving beyond the Burgundian model. It’s gotten more popular, but also darker, heavier, higher in alcohol – with more cassis than strawberry in the nose. There was a scandal: a brand of imported Pinot Noir was found to be Syrah. But many wine lovers believe that the evolution of Pinot Noir to be ever more Syrah-like is the real scandal.
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