Questions Regarding Pinot Noir

There are about 50 different clones of PN. PN is also parent to many other varietals, such as Chardonnay - usually the other parent being Gouais blanc. During the 70s many growers replanted with high yield clones, to the detriment of quality (added to this was excess of nutrients, particularly potassium), but a return to high quality clones has taken place. Apart from Bourgogne-passetoutgrain, which should have minimum 60 % PN (Gamay for the rest), there are some oddball Bourgogne Rouge made in small quantities from one or two varietals in the Yonne area - Cesar is the one that comes to my mind. Traditionally, some particular vineyards have special clones - apparently, in Clos de Mouches Drouhin has some Pinot Gris vines, e g. There has also been some local clones that were unpigmented, giving a WHITE wine from what was traditionally PN. The Pinot family (noir, gris, blanc) are genetically very close to each other, so close that they could, I believe, be considered clones - somebody is sure to correct me if I exagerate.

HTH

Cheers

Nils

I'd go so far as to say that they ARE considered to be clones of the same variety.

I'm not sure what you mean by "anecdotal quantities" - Passe-tout-grains is most certainly not just the stuff of anecdotes. There is also Bourgogne Grand Odinaire, which potentially has even more Gamay in the blend.

Steve,

would you agree if I replaced "anecdotal" by "tiny" quantities? For the last decade, I have not seen a single bottle on a retailer's shelf.

Yves

Yves, I don't know where you shop, but I see several different Passetoutgrains in every vintage in major metropolitan areas such as Chicago and San Francisco. Chevillon's is one I see quite a bit of, and a particular favorite of mine.

Mark Lipton