GRAPE VARIETIES: No grape can have created such a great reputation from just one region as the Pinot Noir has from Burgundy. Whilst it is planted widely round the world, nowhere else, with the possible exception of parts of the world, nowhere else, with the possible exception of parts of California, does it create its perfect wines. There is a broad range of clones of this variety, and the best have to be selected to produce the finest wines. The Pinot's yields are small; it demands well-drained soil and is liable to both mildew and rot. Perhaps these factors present too much of a problem for all but the most exacting grower. At its best it gives wine whose flavour is a "summer puddin" selection of soft red fruits. When old, the wine can take on a peculiar aroma of rotting vegetation.

NOSE OF WINE: Wood smoke, damp eath, mushroom, strawberries, barnyard smell, sweet cream.