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Pinot Noir, Monument Hill

Pinot Noir, Monument Hill Wine Details
Price: $55.00 per bottle

Description: An ancient varietal with its roots in eastern France, Pinot Noir is a red grape that is highly expressive of its terroir. The long growing season of the Santa Maria Valley allows Pinot Noir grapes to develop slowly and to their fullest, most deliciously intense flavors. Byron Pinot Noir has undertones of cherry and plum with depth and velvetiness from maturing in oak.

Varietal Definition
Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."


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