Why it's so fragile
Pinot Noir is thin-skinned, early-budding and prone to rot and disease — a grower's nightmare. It's also genetically unstable, mutating readily (Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc are colour mutations). That instability makes it exquisitely sensitive to site.
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The terroir messenger
Because Pinot is low in pigment and overt flavour, small differences in soil, slope and climate show clearly in the glass. That's why Burgundy ranks vineyards so finely.