Cask

André Tchelistcheff declared that "God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot Noir."

While Burgundy has historically held the title of Best Pinot Producer in the world, The United States has increasingly become a major player, with many of the highest regarded typically coming from California's Sonoma County with its Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations, as well as the Central Coast's Santa Lucia Highlands appellation and the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in Santa Barbara County.

Pinot Noir offers an excitingly complex and broad range of aromas, flavors, textures and impressions. Pinot Noir strongly reflects its growing environments and tends to be less varietal stereotypical which can be confusing to tasters. It tends to be of light to medium body with new world Pinot Noir exhibiting a tendency towards showing red fruit aromas recollecting black cherry, raspberry or currant while traditional red Burgundy has famously shown 'farmyard' aromas. The wine in its youth will typically show a garnet color however exciting, newer styles of Pinot Noir, particularly from California can show a depth of color more typically seen in varietals such as Cabernet or Syrah.