It's been years since we last released a Pinot Noir at Allegro.  It's a variety that captures the imagination of every winemaker at some point (and most wine drinkers).  Pinot Noir has been called the "especially" grape, because almost everything that applies to most grape varieties *especially* applies to Pinot Noir.  Are grapes hard to grow?  Yes, especially Pinot Noir. Do grapes reflect the unique characteristics of their growing environment? Yes, especially Pinot Noir. Do you have to be careful making wine? Yes, especially Pinot Noir.  It's this last point that has always caused me concern, because Pinot Noir requires a winemaker to show restraint and to be delicate, two traits that no one has ever accused me of.

This varietal thrives in regions with cooler temperatures, such as parts of Burgundy in France, Oregon in the United States, and even Tasmania in Australia. Warmer climates tend to overwhelm the subtleties of the variety leading to very warm and bland jammy characters.  But climates as ours are better--in my opinion for the style of wine I enjoy--as the grapes benefit from a longer and slower ripening process, resulting in a wine with finesse, complexity, and a distinctive expression of its terroir.

I swore off Pinot Noir back in 2007 (an incredible vintage) when the wine didn't show the potential I had envisioned.  I gave it another try in 2013 (a legendary vintage for us), and it was better but still not quite what I was hoping for.  Now, with the 2022, I tried again.  A glutton for punishment I am, and in a year that doesn't rival the other two. (And in the meantime, I had pulled out all of our own Pinot Noir vines back in 2015.)  Nevertheless, we have a Pinot Noir in the bottle and I'm not disappointed.

This is not an earth-shattering, read-all-about-it, how the heck did that happen Pinot Noir.  But it's a nice little wine, and it's worth checking out.  I've learned a thing or two in winemaking in the last twenty years, and it shows in this wine.  The wine has a very nice ruby color, and the aromatics are a great blend of fruit-driven tenor and savory bass notes.  On the palate, the wine shows nice length and in traditional Allegro fashion perhaps a surprising amount of tannic structure.  For fans of Oregon Pinots, this may disappoint, because it's its own style.  But this is Pennsylvania after all, and we're just a bit different.

Our Pinot should develop nicely in the next few years, but it's not one to cellar for too long.  It'll pair well with dishes like roasted duck, salmon, or mushroom risotto.