Pinot Noir Winemaking Techniques from Burgundy

We have all heard the expression that great wine is made in the vineyard. And while we home winemakers generally accept this as truth, nowhere has this been more obvious to me than in the Burgundy region of France. Many fans of Pinot Noir, including myself, believe that the very best Pinot Noirs come from Burgundy, where they have been growing grapes and making wine for at least 1,000 years. Certainly, they are often among the most expensive. Anyone who loves Burgundy tends to rave about the wines, and yet this complex region remains a mystery to many due to its incredible number of tiny producers and often difficult to understand micro-regions, called climats. I’m not going to go into a long discussion of this practice as there are a ton of references, but I’ll give a quick summary. In Burgundy, there is a history and “reputation” of each little parcel of vineyard. This area has been making wine for centuries and all the spots that make really great grapes for wine are well known. Depending on how good the