Pinot Noir is the red grape of Burgundy. This is a thin skinned varietal, with small berried, small sized, compact clusters that can be difficult to ripen, and is very susceptible to rot and other vineyard problems. It grows best in cooler climates and is an early ripening grape. Pinot Noir typically produces a very light-colored wine, as it lacks many of the key compounds needed for rich color extraction during fermentation. Typical characters associated with Pinot Noir are strawberry, raspberry, cherry, and other light fruit flavors. It is also renowned for developing a gamey, mushroom and truffle/forest floor character. Pinot Noir is one of the main varietals, along with Chardonnay, used in the production of Champagne and sparkling wine.
Pinot Noir mutates quite easily and has more clones than any wine grape. Four common Pinot Noir clones are:
