Winemaker Notes
Creating the Pinot Noir Classique is always so enjoyable because you can clearly feel a sense of the individual sites layered in this wine. With Pinot, Forge Cellars' catalog of vineyards is much lighter than Riesling, which makes it easier to discern particular characteristics from three to five sites (rather than 10-15). They admire all of the Pinot lieux-dits, both for their conviction to transcribe the land and their ability to coalesce so harmoniously in the Classique.
This is the opportunity for each site to have their moment center stage while being fully supported by the rest of the cast. Take the intensity and wildness of Leidenfrost for example, which is softened by the supple figure of Bellows. Tango Oaks, Forge's own beautiful version of Chambolle, provides lift and generosity of fruit.
The Pinot Noir Classique is an open door to the possibilities of cool-climate Pinot grown on shale in their region.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.