Nowhere in wine is the contrast between the “old” and “new” worlds more evident than in Pinot Noir. The “queen of wines” who ruled the French Burgundy region for more than a millennium is a distinctly different wine from the California beverage quaffed in the yuppie movie “Sideways.”

The contrast is most evident in the history and linage of Pinot Noir. The exact origin of the red grape is steeped in mystery but the ancient Romans knew of the grape as Helvenacia Minor. Some speculate that Pinot Noir is a domesticated wild vinifera, native to the thirty-mile strip of hills in east central France called the Cote d’Or or “Slope of Gold”. From the Romans and Celts of the first century AD, through the middle ages and the Kingdom of Burgundy, to the French Revolution and two world wars, Burgundians have made wine from the Pinot Noir grape.

By contrast, Pinot Noir is a relative newcomer to California having arrived in the mid 19th century under a variety of aliases including Black Burgundy and Petite Pinot. Agoston Haraszthy planted some “Pinot noir black” at Buena Vista (Sonoma) in 1862 but nothing became of the vines. In 1872, Santa Clara’s J. B. J. Portal imported true Pinot Noir and H. W. Crabb showed Pinot noiren on his 1882 list of vineyard varieties. However, the grape was largely discounted by early California growers as being difficult to grow and producing low yields.

In France, either royalty or the church controlled the historical vineyards of Burgundy until the French Revolution when they were seized, split into small lots and sold to individual farmers. Over time, French inheritance laws have resulted in some Pinot Noir vineyards being “owned” by hundreds of individuals where one grower may tend only a few vines or a single row.

In California, Pinot Noir vineyards spread over hundreds of acres in such diverse regions as the Carneros in Napa, Dry Creek and Russian River Valley in Sonoma, and Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. It wasn’t until the 1970s that California growers and vintners began to unravel the complexities of the Pinot Noir grape and take on the challenge of producing world-class wine. There were only 556 acres of Pinot grown if California in 1961 but by 1978 the total had soared to over 10,300 acres. Today, there are almost 25,000 acres of Pinot Noir vines grown in more than two dozen California counties.

Pinot Noir is a finicky grape and said to be difficult to grow. First, the grape is genetically unstable and can easily produce offspring with characteristics that vary significantly from the parent. There are at least 200 know Pinot clones and may be as many as a thousand

worldwide. Pinot is also known to be susceptible to nearly all known grape vine afflictions from Pierce’s Disease, to leaf-roll virus to rot and mildew. While somewhat tolerant of cool climates, as an early budding variety, Pinot is highly susceptible to spring frosts.

Many vintners believe that Pinot Noir seems to reflect its terrior – the flavor of the soil, climate, and culture – more than any other wine grape. Site selection is therefore critical to growing Pinot. Vines favor cool conditions with eastern exposure on calcareous soils with good drainage. Since the vines are not very vigorous, they can lack sufficient leaf cover to protect the fruit from direct sunlight that can quickly dehydrate and shrivel the berries before harvest. Pinot Noir grapes are thin-skinned and grow in pinecone shaped clusters – hence the name Pinot (pine) Noir (black).

The old/new world contrast continues in wines made from Pinot Noir. It should be mentioned at this point that Pinot Noir is a primary component of both French Champagne and California sparkling wine. There is definitely a distinction between the two bubblies but the degree to which Pinot Noir contributes to this contract is unclear. It is in the dry wines from France and America where the distinction is most evident.

There is something “old” yet hard to describe about French Burgundy that makes it perhaps the finest red wine in the world. While great Burgundies are described as “elegant, sophisticated, exotic, and compelling with ripe black cherry, raspberry, aroma and flavor” there is a certain “barnyard” quality the French call “ca scent merde” that makes them unique. Great American Pinot Noirs are described as sexy, racy, exhilarating and capricious, with aromas and flavors of cherry, strawberry, and raspberry with nuances of spice, violets, herbs, and rose petal. Old world Burgundy tends toward a heavier more robust style with bouquets of terroir, mushroom, earth, truffle and leather, while new world Pinots typically are aromatic and fruity with mouth filling density reflecting bouquets of smoky oak, vanilla, earth, and a touch of cedar.

It may be the history, the terrior, or the 2000 years of wine making tradition, but there is an old world/new world Pinot Noir distinction. But alas, new world winemakers are learning what old world vintners have known about Pinot for centuries. Meanwhile, old world producers are acknowledging the evolving new world consumer preference for more fruit-forward wines. The distinction gap is inevitably narrowing but, “viva la difference”