Top 10 Pinot Noirs

With almost 300 entries from 16 countries, the drinks business Global Pinot Noir Masters highlighted the broad spectrum of countries and price points available for wine lovers looking to explore this challenging but revered grape variety.

The competition saw an expert panel featuring eight Masters of Wine and one Master Sommelier assess entries blind, with no information about country of origin, only price bracket. Wines were served in flights ordered by price and style – whether oaked or unoaked, lighter bodied or full-bodied – in order to make sure that entries were tasted in the fairest possible order.

This format allowed judges to focus entirely on style, with clear consensus emerging about what they were looking for from good Pinot Noir. For example, at the cheaper end of the spectrum, low levels of residual sugar were deemed acceptable – although not desirable – with the panel also agreeing that below £10 Pinot Noir is best without oak influence.

As they moved up into higher price points, the judges became more demanding, with wines expected to demonstrate a number of key characteristics expected of Pinot Noir. These included an open, pretty nose; an attractive, smooth texture, and enough freshness to ensure the drinker wanted more. Stewed fruit, excessive oak flavours and evidence of heavy-handed maceration techniques were all penalised.

For a full report on the tasting, including judges’ comments and all medal winners from this year’s competition, click here. Otherwise read on to discover some of the top medalists from 2014, from sparkling styles to examples that prove excellent Pinot Noir doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

10. Champagne Soutiran, Cuvée Perle Noire Grand Cru NV

A reminder that Pinot Noir has a significant role to play in many of the world’s great sparkling wines, this example shone out as the only fizz entry to win a gold medal.

Based in Champagne’s prime Pinot Noir territory, the village of Ambonnay in the Montagne de Reims, the family-run Soutiran house specialises in grand cru and premier cru expressions.

Among a host of sparkling brands from around the world, it was their Cuvée Perle Noire, just breaking above the £30 mark, which particularly impressed the judges in this year’s competition.

9. Viña Maycas del Limarí, Sumaq Pinot Noir Reserva 2013

Spearheaded by Concha y Toro’s chief winemaker Marcelo Papa, this winery is busy demonstrating why Chile’s relatively young Limarí wine region is one to keep a close eye on.

Established as recently as 2005, Viña Maycas del Limarí now produces a trio of styles in its top end Sumaq range: a Chardonnay, a Shiraz and this Pinot Noir, which so impressed the judges.

In fact, this was the only wine among entries priced under £10 to take home a gold medal, with Chile as a whole dominating the medals at this lower end of the Pinot price spectrum.

8. Hope Family Wines, Liberty School Pinot Noir 2012

Proving that California isn’t just about the big dollar reds is this sole gold medal winner from the £10-20 price bracket.

Sourced from three different areas of the Central Coast, the fruit behind this Pinot Noir features the acidity and length offered by Arroyo Seco in Monterey, the bright berry flavours from a cooler corner of Paso Robles, and a balancing weight from the inland region of Paicines in San Benito County, which claims to be one of the state’s oldest vineyard areas.

Produced during what turned out to be a record year for California in terms of quantity, this wine demonstrates the quality on offer from a 2012 harvest described by the Hope Family Wines team as “flawless” for Pinot Noir.

7. Schug Carneros Estate Winery Pinot Noir 2011

The only Master awarded in this year’s competition went to this wine from Sonoma’s highly respected Schug Estate – and with a retail price below £30 it represents superlative value.

Made from a blend of different Pinot Noir clones from across seven different vineyards across this 50-acres estate, the final wine also reflects influences from Sonoma’s morning fog, which is replaced later in the day by summertime wines that thicken the skins and add an element of peppery spice to the flavour.

Founded by Geisenheim-trained Walter Schug and his wife Gertrud in 1989, Schug has also built up a strong reputation for its sparkling wine, again made from Pinot Noir, alongside Chardonnay and a number of other varieties in its portfolio. However, it was Pinot Noir that originally inspired Walter to strike out on his own at a time when this variety was a difficult sell in California, and which remains the cornerstone of the estate’s image today.

6. Stoller Family Estate, Reserve Pinot Noir 2010

A welcome reminder that California is not the only US state producing fabulous Pinot Noir comes in the form of this gold medal winner in the £20-30 bracket from Oregon.

Originally a turkey farm, this 373-acre estate lies in the Dundee Hills and was converted to grape growing in 1993, when Bill Stoller bought the property from his cousin.

With 180 acres now planted under vine, Pinot Noir forms the primary focus, while this reserve expression represents a selection of the estate’s best vineyard blocks and barrels.

2010 stands out in Oregon for its a particularly cool growing season, which pushed the harvest back by almost a month but, for those who dodged the rain, resulted in some particularly vibrant wines.

5. Bomb Wines Pinot Noir 2010

Another gold medal winner for Oregon, also in the £20-30 bracket, came from this eye-catching new set-up, which only produced its first wine in 2009.

Bomb sources its Pinot Noir from a selection of high quality vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley, taking in the Yamhill Carlton, Eola Hills, Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge AVAs.

Winemaker Tony Rynders made just 250 cases of this wine in Bomb’s second vintage. Bottled in April 2012, the wine is yet to be released so you can either wait patiently or snap up the producer’s maiden 2009 Pinot Noir while stocks last.

4. Circe Vineyards, Hillcrest Road Vineyard 2012

Breaking the Americas’ dominance of this list so far is this gold medal winning Pinot Noir from Australia’s Mornington Peninsular.

Established by Dan Buckle and Aaron Drummond, the winery’s Homeric name captures the seductive but perilous experience faced by those taking on the challenge of Pinot Noir production.

With just three acres under vine, around half of this is Pinot Noir, while the rest is given over to Chardonnay. This expression may fall into the competition’s upper £30+ price bracket, but that’s a reflection of the small production, low yields – fewer than two tonnes per acre – and hours spent in the vineyard by a team that is clearly fanatical about attention to detail.

3. Craggy Range Vineyards, “Aroha”, Te Muna Road Vineyard 2011

Waving the flag for New Zealand’s popular Pinot Noir is Craggy Range, which produced this top end expression from its base in Martinborough under the watchful eye of director of wine & viticulture Steve Smith MW.

Despite the international acclaim of New Zealand Pinot Noir and a strong performance in this competition from many other Kiwi producers, this entry into the £30+ bracket was the country’s only wine to scoop a gold medal.

Te Muna, Maori for “The Secret” is a 94-hectare plot planted predominantly with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, which lies at a higher elevation than most of Martinborough, making its harvest date up to 10 days later than the rest of the region and up to three weeks later than in Marlborough. Aroha, meaning “love” is produced from this vineyard’s very best parcels.

2. Jackson Family Wines, Wild Ridge Pinot Noir 2011

With a portfolio that spans a huge range of price points, styles and even countries, Jackson Family Wines has proved its Pinot Noir credentials with this gold medal £30+ example from Sonoma Coast.

Winemaker Craig McAllister brings his expertise from stints in his native New Zealand as well as Australia, Chile and even Cyprus, to this corner of northern California.

Despite its cool, coastal location, the vineyards’ position at nearly 300m above sea level elevates them above the region’s morning fog to help the grapes to ripen fully, while capturing some of the wildness of its dense forest surroundings.

1. Viña Cono Sur, Ocio 2010

Chile may have shown its greatest strength with Pinot Noir lies at lower price points, but with this wine Cono Sur demonstrates that the country can hold its own at the very top end as well.

With a name that translates as “leisure”, this vintage of Ocio was produced from cool sites in Casablanca, no more than 20km from the Pacific Ocean.

Led by chief winemaker Adolfo Hurtado, the Cono Sur team has built a real specialism for itself with Pinot Noir, which has been a major focus since 1999. Just tipping over into the £30+ price bracket, Ocio represents the pinnacle of the company’s skills with this variety and one of the most ambitious examples currently on offer from Chile.