Lucien Crochet "La Croix du Roy" Sancerre RougeThese days, it seems everyone is looking for the next great source of Pinot Noir. Ever since the movie Sideways, the grape's popularity has exploded, with sales increasing 18% in the nine months following the movie's late-October 2004 release. Although it is still outsold by grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which account for 12% and 10% of US wine sales respectively, Pinot Noir is holding its own with a 4% share of the US market. Yet, when you consider that in 2010, California crushed nearly 3 times as many tons of Cabernet Sauvignon as Pinot Noir, the gap in sales is easily explained.

Pinot Noir is not easy to grow. It is thin skinned, is prone to a host of diseases, and prefers cool climates. As such, there are restrictions on where it can be planted. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, which has adapted to a host of climates all over the world, Pinot's fickle nature has kept it confined to a few specific regions. These regions, such as Burgundy, parts of California (e.g., Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Central Coast, etc.) and Oregon's Willamette Valley, have become the tried and true sources of Pinot Noir for lovers of the grape from all over the world.

Because of the difficulties associated with growing Pinot Noir, and its widespread popularity, when a new region emerges as a potential source of quality Pinot Noir based wines, it generates a good deal of buzz in the wine world. Earlier this year, I was tremendously excited when I visited Whitecliff Vineyards, and discovered that they were producing top-notch Pinot Noir. Similarly, over the last 10 years, Pinor Noir from New Zealand and Chile have generated a good deal of excitement, as they have been spotlighted on the world wine stage.