Subtle, silky, sensuous and seductive, Pinot Noir is often called “the heartbreak grape” by winemakers, or “magic in a glass” by those who love to drink it.
Heartbreaking because Pinot Noir is a bit of a diva; thin-skinned, sensitive to temperature, susceptible to disease, fickle but hugely rewarding when it is happy, producing some of the world’s most sought-after, ageable and expensive wines.
International Pinot Noir Day on Tuesday, August 18, celebrates the glories of this distinctive wine, that can range from light, fresh and fruity to, at its best, deep, complex, earthy and savoury.
Pinot Noir is a lighter-coloured red, deceptively so in its abundant aromatics and deep, layered flavours built with characteristic cherries, raspberries, cranberries or strawberries, florals like violets or roses, along with warm spices (cloves, vanilla, liquorice), savouriness or umami, leather and smoke.
Where Pinot Noir is most distinctive of all is in its “forest floor” character of damp earth, leaf mulch, pine needles, wild mushrooms and, sometimes, petrichor, that distinctive smell you can almost taste when rain falls on dry earth and rocks.
A description that may seem mystifying, off-putting even, until you taste it — especially with food.
One of those who has conquered the potential heartbreak of growing and making Pinot Noir is JC Martin, co-owner of Creation Wines in the Hemel-en-Aarde, SA’s undisputed premium Pinot Noir terrain, where he produces no fewer than four Pinot Noirs, distinctively different albeit made in the same cellar, from the same property, the vineyards for each sometimes just a few rows apart.
For JC and his co-owner and wife Carolyn Martin, Pinot Noir is “the most honest narrator in the story of our ancient soils, cool maritime breezes, diurnal fluctuations, and changing seasons”.
Pinot Noir is also a favourite with sommeliers for its silky tannins, texture and savoury-umami flavours that make it incredibly versatile with food — light enough for salmon, sushi or a simple roast chicken, but complex enough, and with enough acidity, for richer, fattier meats — think about a Greek-style roast lamb, especially proper Karoo lamb with its natural herby fynbos flavour.
Classic pairings are a wild mushroom risotto or pasta; or duck, especially with some warm Asian or Middle Eastern-style spice.
In the South African context, take those wild and gamey flavours into venison or ostrich with berries and spices in the cooking.
Creation’s current winter menu features their Ridge or Art of Creation Pinot Noir with slow-cooked springbok shank with polenta, king oyster mushrooms, sage, dune spinach and winter greens — “embodying winter; earthy, wild-herb depth meeting the wine’s forest-floor complexity, violet aromatics, and supple, shale-formed tannins”.
The opening act and a great introduction to the grape is Creation Estate Pinot Noir 2025 (R299.95 at Preston’s), fragrant, abundant red fruit, the earthiness coming through softly in shiitake mushroom notes, made for early enjoyment and delightful on its own.
Rated Platter’s 4.5*, as all four are, Creation Ridge Pinot Noir 2024 (449.95) moves into more structured territory, made to age up to a decade, velvety smooth with bright cherries, piquant spices and herbaceous notes, maritime minerality — a treat of sumptuous complexity.
The Art of Pinot Noir 2024 is the flagship, made from a single vineyard, the oldest Pinot planting on the farm, selected from the best barrels, each bottle individually numbered.
A superb wine that encapsulates Creation and the enchantment of Pinot Noir — “the Prince of Reds at his most charming”, fantastic now and (perhaps unlike Prince Charming), built for the long haul and future rewards.
Red and black cherries tightly packed, fine tannins, complex with spice and perfume, and a pinnacle of that sense that comes through all four of these Creation wines, of purity, clarity and precision.
The Martins’ daughter, Emma, lends her name and skills to Emma’s Pinot Noir 2024, perhaps the most “serious” of the four, deeply fruited, deeply savoury, robust, with the firm tannins and acidity that indicate serious ageing potential. (Proved by a recent tasting of a fantastic, deeply umami 2019.)
These last two are R1,010 from the cellar, and highly rated by UK masters of wine Tim Atkin and Greg Sherwood, with Emma scoring 97 points from Winemag.co.za’s Christian Eedes.
Thinking of exploring Pinot Noir this week?
Along with Creation, Hemel-en-Aarde locations such as Bosman Hermanus, Newton Johnson, Ataraxia, Bouchard Finlayson and Hamilton Russell, are obvious premium choices, while Elgin is another region doing really well with Pinot Noir, the leaders including Highlands Road, Iona, Oak Valley, Paul Cluver and Richard Kershaw.
Pinot Noir does tend to be on the pricey side, but a quick visit to Preston’s Main Rd, Walmer, found a selection of good quality and value for under R200 that can definitely be recommended:
- Cap Maritime Coastal Pinot Noir, now on promotion at R159.99.
- From Elgin, the Oak Valley Sounds of Silence, R169, and Paul Cluver Village Pinot Noir, R164.
- Haute Cabriere Unwooded Pinot Noir, R134.
- Fryer’s Cove, R189 — a special mention for its unusual “wild” West Coast origins more than 400km away from the Hemel-en-Aarde, in SA’s closest vineyards to the sea where the vines are constantly buffeted by fierce winds and salty mists off the Atlantic. The maritime influence shows in the wine, and it’s delicious.
- Another special mention for Paul Wallace’s Brave Heart Pinot Noir 2023 (R269.99, usually R320 from the farm) from Elgin, a Platter’s 4* rating and National Wine Challenge class winner this year. Tasted recently, it’s bright and juicy, and its savouriness all about smoky bacon.
For best tasting enjoyment, serve pinot noir lightly chilled (Creation recommends 14°C) to accentuate its aromatics and flavours.
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