When I was in Oregon earlier this summer, it was clear that vineyard managers were going to have to dig into their bag of tricks for this harvest. The light green palor of the vines was evidence of a lack of sun and heat at a pretty critical time of ripening. Some tiny berries had died within clusters, some not even making it that far before “shatter” occured (think: when your tomato blossom never yields a little green nugget, just dies and falls off).

People who grow Pinot Noir in Oregon? They’re like Jimmy Caan in The Gambler. They’re very smart people with a big crazy streak. Oregon is high stakes, win or lose. It’s probably going to get hot enough late in the summer to ripen grapes, IF they haven’t been damaged by wind or rain early in development. And IF you can harvest before the fall rains dilute the crop. So you need to know what the hell you’re doing and be ready for anything–and some people feed off of that.

So, though I love the fact that anything, even a cute yet mediocre movie such as Sideways can get people to drink Pinot Noir….I can’t stress enough that, as a grape, Pinot Noir doesn’t care. You can’t increase her supply to meet your demand. She is a fickle, elusive little minx. Or, better said, she’s at her beautiful best when she’s a bit out of your control. Consistent Pinot is an oxymoron. But if you love her, it’s for her mildly ascerbic, steely cold shoulder as much as for her blushing, ripe complexity.

Now with global warming, Oregon has been on a winning streak, vintage-wise. The unlucky side of the warming trend in the Northwest has hit Cali’s Pinot Noir crops in some areas hard this year–namely with lots more wind, rain, and fog. It’s fun to imagine the suits trying to make “forecasting decisions” in the Pinor Noir category. This isn’t Merlot or Chardonnay, bitches. While you’re strategizing, expanding, delegating, ear-marking, and replanting…..Mother Nature is laughing her bloody head off.

Read a quickie about the Pinot crop in Oregon here: www.scottpaul.com: A Winemaker’s Blog

And a round up of opinions on California Pinot here: San Francisco Gate on Pinot & Rain