The Pinot family has been documented for many centuries. The many different clones were regarded as separate varieties, but it has now been found that black-, pink-, white-berried clones share the same genetic code; one can find Pinot vines bearing fruits of differing colours on the same plant. Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned fruit, and therefore tends to produce wines of lower tannin levels. Pinot Noir wines are marked by elegance, but that is not to say that they cannot be powerful and long-ageing. Pinot Noir's great ability is to communicate terroir; it is, of course, THE red grape variety of Burgundy and is also partly or wholly responsible for the best wines of champagne.
