MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Friday is a good day to raise a glass to our most temperamental grape

International Pinot Noir Day (August 18) is not a compelling reason to celebrate one of the finest — but most abused — of the noble varieties. Great pinot is so extraordinary it should be celebrated whenever you are able to find one (and afford it).

Until 50 years ago, its reputation was largely unwarranted. It performed well in a small stretch of the Cote d’Or, a narrow defile of viticultural land bounded by the Route Nationale and the low-lying ridge (the “Cote” itself) which runs on a north-south axis between Dijon and Santenay. There are less than 25,000ha of Appellation Controlée vineyards, the majority planted to pinot.

In this heartland of what is undoubtedly the most temperamental and least forgiving grape variety, about 2% is classified grand cru, the highest possible rating. This pedigree is attached to the site. It brings no guarantee of the quality of what lands up in the bottle. Few of these climats or vineyards are the sole property of a single owner. Mostly they have multiple proprietors, with even a single row of vines fetching millions of rand on the rare occasions when land is sold. Francois Pinault paid an average price of about R700m/ha for the 7.53ha of Clos de Tart.

While this kind of purchase price is rare — even by Burgundy standards — it is fair to say that many of the most desirable sites have not changed hands since Burgundy and pinot noir became the oligarch nirvana. Who can tell what someone would be prepared to pay for La Tache or Romanée-Conti should the De Villaine family choose to put either onto the market?

Given the kind of price paid for the land, and an average yield (from the top sites) of less than 5,000 bottles/ha, it’s not difficult to work out why the wine is now so outrageously expensive. Most dedicated pinotphiles spend a lifetime trying to find bottles worthy of the variety’s reputation, and usually land up at least slightly disappointed.

As British wine-writer Simon Woods famously wrote: “Great burgundy is like an orgasm. If you’re not sure whether you've had one or not — you haven’t. And if you have had one, you want another as soon as possible.”

Writing about the unattainable in the world of food and wine is the lowest form of exhibitionism. Since there are many other good pinot noirs which make no pretence about achieving the ethereal quality of the perfect Burgundy grand cru, it’s worth considering what has been achieved by pinot producers elsewhere (most notably in SA) in the past few decades.

Until the 1980s no other wine-producing region made any serious attempt to challenge Burgundy’s supremacy. Then, in relatively quick succession (and not necessarily in this order) California, Oregon, Yarra, Hemel-en-Aarde, Marlborough and Central Otago joined the fray. After any number of false starts and disappointments, New World producers now offer wines that are authentically pinot without (in general) an even vaguely Burgundian taste profile. (By the way, most of them would disagree with this judgment: many talk about their wines in terms of their flavour proximity to the better-known Burgundy appellations).

If you’re shopping for Cape pinot to join in the festivities of World Pinot Day, the choice is extensive. You could make a start with La Vierge’s Apogée, which topped the SA results at the International Wine and Spirits Competition and the International Wine Challenge in 2023.

You could also seek out Molly Meaker from Elgin, Cluver’s Seven Flags, any one of Storm’s single site wines, and the newly launched Hasher Family Estate Ernest Pinot Noir — an exciting new kid on the Hemel-en-Aarde block. If you have deep pockets the latest Hamilton Russell release is linear, pure and precise, and certainly not sparse. And if you can lay your hands on the top pinot from Herold, a fabulous site in the Outeniqua Mountains, you’ll find a genuine unicorn: a delicious example at a truly affordable price.