Pinot Noir’s Paradox

“No other wine conjures up poetic descriptions like pinot noir; no other wine forges as direct a path to the soul. If a wine could make a person cry, it would have to be a pinot noir. A wine like this is bound to have a pretty big mystique, and pinot noir wears its like a rap star wears gold. It’s a femme fatale. It’s a temperamental artist. It’s very sensitive.” So rhapsodizes the New York Times wine panel after a tasting of pinots from the central coast of California and South island of New Zealand. Their top wine was the 2001 Peregrine from Central Otago (also their best value).