In the 2004 motion picture Sideways, the protagonist Miles Raymond (portrayed by Paul Giamatti) derided a certain grape variety associated with the right bank of Bordeaux as something simplistic and boring. I happen to disagree, but while he stomped merrily on Merlot, he lavished another with praise: Pinot Noir. On that point, at least, he and I are agreed.

Pinot Noir makes its traditional home in Burgundy, where when treated well it produces wines of great complexity, elegance, and finesse. Treated indifferently, it produces simple wines of raspberry and red cherry character with occasionally mouth-puckering acidity. Knowing what you’re doing, and doing it in the right climate, is essential to getting this glorious noble grape to perform at its best. It’s picky about where it can grow, needing cool climates to produce quality wine. Once you taste good Red Burgundy, you can understand why many winemakers want to try their hand at Pinot Noir, however, there is a danger that if you don’t have the right conditions, it’s very easy for Pinot Noir to go from silky seductress to baked jammy tart.

Therein lies the rub. In hot climates, Pinot Noir creates high-alcohol, baked wines that taste not unlike mixed berry jam, only with a significant heat at the back of your mouth. In moderate to cool climates, however, it produces wines of great delicacy and elegance. The best are pale in colour; while extended skin contact can extract more colour and ripe deep flavour in youth, Pinot Noir actually ages more like a white wine. Those bitter tannins that make a Cabernet Sauvignon so age worthy are death to Pinot Noir, which ages on acidity. Not that more heavily extracted Pinots aren’t exceptionally good wines, in fact, in youth their unctuous flavours make them more approachable and fullsome than the lighter, higher acid styles, which although fresh and bright when young, can be a little on the racy side.

Fortunately, Pinot Noir has a few places it can now call its ‘home-away-from-home’. Carneros and Sonoma in California, Walker Bay in South Africa, Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula in Australia, and some true star performers, Martinborough and Central Otago in New Zealand. Of these, Mornington Peninsula, Central Otago and Martinborough are producing wines which will be giving Burgundian winemakers and negociants pause. It’s an exciting time for Pinot lovers, where once Burgundy was the only place for serious Pinot Noir, New World winemakers are starting to show that they have the terroir, and skill, to make magic in a glass.

Our Pick of the Pinots

Ata Rangi 2009 Martinborough Pinot Noir, New Zealand

Arguably one of the most exciting bottles in the shop. Full of complex, bittersweet chocolate, coffee and cherry with spice and damson and supple tannins, the acidity is there and this wine should develop into a remarkable elegant, complex wine of great finesse. Buy it now and hide it in a cool dark place for a few years. You won’t regret it.

Chateau Corton Grancey Grand Cru 2002, Louis Latour, Burgundy

I was fortunate enough to taste this wine at a recent head-office course, and it is a magnificent example of good quality Burgundy. Pale ruby garnet in colour with a complex nose of damson, red fruits, violets, figs, cloves and porcini mushroom, with a soft and delicate palate revealing a structure that suggests this has plenty of time to go.

Saintsbury Pinot Noir 2007, Carneros, California

2007 was hailed as an incredible vintage; cool weather and an ‘Indian summer’ gave great fruit intensity and vibrant acidity. Saintsbury’s Carneros Pinot Noir is an example of the more extracted, rich, ripe Pinots with weighted texture and spicy red-fruit as well as tobacco and coffee characteristics. This is drinking very well now and is a great partner to duck or game dishes.

Saint Clair ‘Pioneer Block 15′ Pinot Noir 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand

Bright ruby in colour, with plenty of raspberry and plum with vanilla spice and some toasted notes. This little number has the fruit to enjoy now, but will reward a few years cellaring.

Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 2008, Central Otago, New Zealand

This Pinot Noir from excellent producer Quartz Reef is perfumed and aromatic, with really velvet spice notes layered over an array of red fruit, plum, violet and damson notes, with a vibrant character that belies its richness. This is a bit of a seductress, and is gorgeous right now, but easily has the structure to go another five or six years if you’re of a mind to let it.

The Ned Waihopai River Pinot Noir 2010, Marlborough, New Zealand

There’s a smoky note to this Pinot which I think will intensify with age, and it has plenty of plum, redcurrant and strawberry notes as well. Quite deep and warming from 12 months spent in French oak, this is great tasting now and should develop nicely if kept.

As ever, if you’d like to know more, pop in and see Ruari and the team in Livingston and go on over to the tasting counter and have a chat.
www.majestic.co.uk/livingston
@majesticliv

If you can’t find any of these wines on our website, check with your local store for availability.

At Majestic we love talking about all things wine. Whether it’s tasting through some of the many wines on our free tasting counters or debating the best food and wine match, we want to make sure your wine experience is the best it can be.

John and Hannah from Majestic Aylesbury and Majestic Macclesfield are stripping wine right back to give you snippets of essential Wine Knowledge.

If you’ve got a question you’d like answered with a Majestic video, add it on our facebook poll. Psssst also click on your favourite video from the list!

You can also tweet me any suggestions @majesticwine (I always reply)! Or pop it in the comments box below.

The Majestic debate has grown from a few snippets of news in the broadsheets, a call in on the radio and some blog posts. So what came of the poll? Anybody could add their choice of name and voice their opinion on our twitter feed @majesticwine

And the Majestic FB choice is… Merret. One of the more ‘official’ titles, closely followed by Saxon and Britagne (pronounced Britannia).

You can Like Majestic on Facebook to stay posted on the latest wine news.

My garden has been turned from overgrown, small, narrow, slightly grubby terraced courtyard to a Mediterranean decked delight! With the old outhouse taken down and replaced, a two-tiered deck, a mini greenhouse and lots of giant plant pots put in, then really it has seen a transformation! With tomatoes, courgettes and basil plants all flourishing I thought an Italian theme would be best and quite conveniently my favourite sparkling wine happens to be Italian…..

So, for my perfect garden party I would choose the following:

Prosecco di Conegliano

From a small town called Conegliano, just outside of Treviso, Venice, this delicate and aromatic sparkling wine is a perfect refreshment on a hot sunny day. It is pale in colour and bursting with aromas and flavours of apples, pineapples, lemons, limes and honeysuckle. It’s very delicate, so perfect as an aperitif or with light canapés.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano

I discovered this wine whilst on a three week study holiday in San Gimignano, and what better way to learn the local language than to frequent the local Vinoteca! I had plenty of time to enjoy the delicate Vernccia’s, with hints of lemon and lime and blossom, but with an unusual but enticing almond hint in the background. Again it is a refreshing wine, but with a bit more body which can stand up to poultry dishes, salads and fish dishes.

I Satiri Salice Salentino Riserva DOC

Made from the Negroamaro grape native to Puglia in southern Italy, this wine is a rich wine with hints of plum, fig and prunes and an underlying smoky and earthiness. The 5 years ageing in bottle that this wine has seen makes it really approachable even though it is quite full-bodied. Absolutely perfect with bbq’d meat, tomato pasta dishes and roasts.

Hear more from the team in Stow on the Wold (and tales from Rachel’s Garden) on twitter @majesticstw or on their store web page www.majestic.co.uk/stowonthewold

Not a day goes by where I don’t get set the challenge by a customer to put together a case of everyday or midweek wines. The only stipulation tends to be that the wines need to be between six and eight pounds and quite food friendly. When trusted with this task I like to think about some of the classic midweek meals that are prepared up and down the country and then match my wine choices to them.

Italian food is relatively easy to cook and can be made quickly after a long day at the office. A lasagne or simple bowl of pasta with a tomato sauce or even a pizza are all great midweek options and with 20% off Italian wines this summer they provide such an easy match. For these I would recommend Mandrielle Sangiovese Banfi. This superb example of Sangiovese is more than a match to rich tomato sauces.

Classic British meals often provide inspiration for us all during a long working week. Sausage and mash or Shepherd’s pie are always popular in my house and I like to pick reds with a little bit of body to match to the gravy in these dishes. Rioja is throwing up plenty of bargains at the moment and none more so than Rioja Reserva Vina Eguia 2005.

During the summer there won’t be a household in the land that won’t take advantage of the long evenings by preparing a salad to enjoy in the garden with a glass of something cold and crisp. Weather permitting I would always recommend a zingy fruit driven New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and surely there are none better than perennial Majestic favourite, The Ned Black Label Sauvignon Blanc 2010.

For those people who like to indulge in something a bit spicier during the week like a Thai curry or a simple Stir-fry, I would always lean towards a white bursting with fruit and opulence like Cono Sur Gewürztraminer 2010 from Chile. This is an enticing white wine with hints of lychee, blossom and marzipan.

We love talking about food and wine matching and so the next time you’re in Majestic why not ask us what to match with dinner that night. Alternatively you can always contact us on twitter @majesticstrat and we’d be happy to advise.

Obviously one way to keep up to date is simply to bookmark the main blog page and check back frequently, or subscribe to our RSS feed in your browser, email program, or a web-based reader such as Google Reader.

However, new for this year, I’ll be sending updates back via Twitter. If you use Twitter, just follow MajesticWine. All the blog posts are sent as tweets, but I’ll also be sending back much more frequent summaries of wines as we taste them. And anything else I think you might be interested in.

(A lot more people seem to have heard of Twitter than actually use it, probably because the main Twitter homepage doesn’t do a very good job of explaining it. There’s a good explanation here.)