From Burgundy to the Rest of Italy, Pinot Nero the Prince of Grape Varieties

Red wines and metodo classico sparkling wines made from Pinot Nero have always won me over.

I don't feel like calling them my "favorite" wines, as there are endless Italian and foreign products with their own personality that convey different sensations and emotions. Nevertheless, for my part, Pinot Nero is one of the most extraordinary and difficult grape varieties to cultivate, but when handled by skilled wineries that are aware of how to interpret it at its best – growing it in a suitable pedoclimatic environment – this variety is capable of expressing itself with unparalleled quality.

Characteristics of Pinot Nero

Pinot Nero buds early and frost can be fatal, also because having a thin skin, the grape is more sensitive to rain and humidity, with the risk of encountering rot. It favors instead calcareous soils and cool climates free of frost with moderate heat, to preserve the aromas and acidity that are hallmarks of Pinot Nero.

It is important to have a cool climate precisely to encourage a proper, slow ripening that allows it to develop an unmistakable aromatic profile and a good acidic backbone. Exposure must be optimal as much as latitude, since good sun exposure is essential, as are targeted and meticulous vineyard interventions that facilitate perfect fruit ripening.

The cluster, once ready for harvest, will be very compact, almost resembling a pine cone – and it is from this that the name of the variety is said to derive.

Borgogna, the homeland of Pinot Nero

When talking about Pinot Nero, it is easy to associate it with Borgogna, a truly unique territory. Replicating the complexity and charm that Pinot Nero achieves in this region is nearly impossible. Pinot Nero became established in Borgogna perhaps through crossings of various wild vine varieties even before the Romans, making it one of the oldest grape varieties.

In the 1500s and 1700s, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Meunier appeared on the wine scene – genetic mutations of Pinot Nero that became established biotypes. The cool climate and calcareous soils of this area allowed Pinot Nero wines to truly shine, giving rise to many different clones, almost all in Borgogna and some in the Champagne region as well. The development of these clones aims to make this variety somewhat less challenging to work with.

Pinot Nero on a journey through Italy

Returning to Italy, the Blauburgunder – as it is called in Alto Adige – achieves interesting results, such as the famous vigna Sant'Urbano. Trentino has also proven to be an excellent territory, and l'Etna, with its vineyards above one thousand meters above sea level and its thermal ranges, is a volcanic zone not subject to frost, with clayey and calcareous soils, much like that pinot nero del sud. In Toscana, vineyards with a calcareous presence make all the difference, and in Oltrepò Pavese, beyond its use in sparkling wine, the red wines are of absolute excellence.

In Franciacorta and beyond, it lends structure and elegance to numerous cuvée but also excels on its own, vinified as a white or rosé. The Pinot Nero from Les Crêtes in Valle d'Aosta is very well-balanced – a variety also widespread in Veneto and Friuli. In short, it is certainly an international variety given its diffusion, but above all it is a variety that, by bonding with its territory, reaches different levels depending on where it is grown.

Pinot Nero Tasting Notes

Pinot Nero is famous for its non-concentrated red hues, which with aging shift toward more evolved colors.

The transparent color derives from the thinness of the skin, a sign of modest anthocyanic concentration that also affects the tannin. On the nose, beyond the classic fruitiness, one can also find in the glass – thanks in part to aging – wild notes, toasted dried fruit, spice, graphite, and minerality, always on tones of elegance. On the palate, elegance reigns alongside a pleasant freshness and a tannin that is never aggressive but instead becomes a vehicle for softness.