What are the best Pinot Noirs? A list with photos, description and tasting of the 20 best Italian Pinot Noir wines, value for money. From the most famous Pinot Noirs to the lesser known ones of the best companies. To learn more about the regional excellences, read also the article dedicated to the best Pinot Noir from Trentino Alto Adige and the best Pinot Noir from Tuscany.
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- Pinot Noir in Italy
- Best Italian Pinot Noirs
Pinot Noir in Italy
Pinot Noir is a red grape variety originating from Burgundy, considered among the most elegant and refined for its seductive aromas, soft color and silky tannins. It is also among the most difficult grape varieties to interpret due to its intrinsic sensitivity and need in terms of terroir. In fact, Pinot Noir finds its maximum expression in cool and temperate climates and requires constant and meticulous agronomic work.
Italy has given birth to countless virtuous interpretations of Pinot Noir vinified in red: for example, one can find Pinot Noir of great interest in the Mazzon plateau, in Alto Adige, a real flagship of Pinot Noir in Italy.
Also worth discovering is the Pinot Noir of Lombardy, where it has found an ideal habitat among the enchanting hills shrouded by the fog of the Oltrepò Pavese, or in Tuscany, where the climate towards the Apennines becomes more continental, as in Mugello and Casentino. Also to be taken into consideration in Pinot Noir, often more slender and immediate, produced in Veneto in the Breganze area and close to Lake Garda. Also of great interest are the imaginative results obtained on the slopes of Mount Etna, where the high altitudes make it possible to compensate with the Sicilian latitudes, which otherwise would not be congenial to Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir is also, on the leitmotiv of the great wines of Champagne, among the pillars of prestigious classic method sparkling wines such as Franciacorta, Oltrepo ‘Pavese, Trento DOC and Alta Langa.
To learn more, read the article dedicated to Pinot Noir.
Best 20 Italian Pinot Noirs – Recommended by Jean Marco Palmieri
What are the best Pinot Noirs vinified in red?
Let’s find out together the updated list of the 20 best Italian Pinot Noirs with photos and tastings, so that everyone can find the best Italian Pinot Noir suited to their tastes.
Discover also the articles dedicated to the best Pinot Noirs of Tuscany and the best Pinot Noirs of Trentino Alto Adige
ton 2019 – Elena Walch
Description:
It opens with small red fruits like raspberries and wild strawberries, enriched by notes of underbrush, humus, and medicinal herbs. On the palate, it has silky tannins and lively acidity that provides drinkability and freshness. The finish is unusually persistent, echoing the varietal aromas of Pinot Noir. In the cellar, it undergoes cold maceration for 5 days and ferments in steel for 15 days, followed by aging in barriques for 12 months and resting for a year in steel.
Aton is obtained from vineyards located in Glen and Barleith at medium-high altitudes, situated between 400 and 600 meters above sea level.
A wine of great olfactory richness, maximizing the varietal in a key that combines elegance and complexity. Aton by Elena Walch is rightfully confirmed as one of the best Pinot Noirs from Alto Adige/South Tyrol.
Vineyard Area: Glen, Barleith
La Pineta 2019 – Podere Monastero
Description:
It suggests intense aromas of red berries, vanilla, humus and balsamic epiphanies. The mouthfeel is enveloping and soft, with very delicate tannins and a pressing acidity.
From the intuition of the talented Alessandro Cellai comes one of the best Italian Pinot Noirs: elegant, exultation of fruit, impeccable expression of the territory.
Region: Tuscany (Castellina in Chianti)
Pinot Noir Riserva ‘Vigna Ganger’ 2020 – Girlan
Description:
It galvanizes the nose with scents of blueberries and wild strawberries, accompanied by suggestions of wilted flowers, underbrush, vanilla, and dark chocolate. On the palate, it is voluminous, with well-outlined silky tannins and a good lively acidity that provides freshness and verticality.
The grapes – of which one-fifth are vinified whole-cluster – are gravity-fed into stainless steel vats for fermentation (25 days). After malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged for 20 months in barriques, followed by an additional 18 months of bottle aging.
Vigna “Ganger” is a monopole vineyard, located in Mazzon at an altitude of 360 – 380 meters above sea level, with southwest exposure.
A clean, harmonious finish of great length on the fruit. Among the best Pinot Noirs from Alto Adige/South Tyrol for its overall complexity and balance, seductive and refined, with very eloquent aromas.
Vineyard Area: Mazzon
Pinot Noir ‘Ponkler’ 2018 – Franz Haas
Description:
The olfactory profile is complex and intense: it ranges from candied cherry, strawberry jam, violet, and patchouli. The sip is intense and warm, with a prominent tannic structure, supported by lively acidity that provides harmony and balance. Vinification in open vats with frequent remontages and punch-downs. The wine is then transferred from steel to barriques for a period of 15 months. After bottling, the wine ages for several more years in the bottle.
Obtained from vineyards located in Aldino, at an altitude of 750 meters, and the vineyard is exposed to the south and southwest.
Ponkler by Franz Haas is a wine of great concentration and length. It deserves to be counted among the best Pinot Noirs from Alto Adige/South Tyrol for its intensity, structure, and aging potential.
Vineyard Area: Aldino (Regolo Mountain Plateau)
Wine Collection Pinot Noir 2019 – San Michele Appiano
Description:
It spreads enticing notes of berry jam, followed by a more austere character of goudron, tobacco, and toasted notes. It stimulates the palate with silky tannins and good acidity that promotes drinkability. Great sapidity and excellent persistence. 10 days of cold maceration and subsequent fermentation in steel. Malolactic fermentation and aging in barriques/tonneaux. After the first year, further aging on the lees for a total of 18 months in a steel vat.
A label that highlights the rarity of the wine and its origin, born from a high-quality cooperative. Among the best Pinot Noirs from Alto Adige/South Tyrol. Balanced, sapid, and with refined aromas.
Vineyard Area: Appiano Monte, Rungg
Bucholz 2020 – Castelfeder
Description:
On the nose, it is complex and fine, with notes of raspberry and underbrush, accompanied by hints of medicinal herbs, white chocolate, suggestions of coffee powder, and spicy tones of black pepper. The sip is lively with a lively acidity that provides sensational freshness and silky tannins synergistically linked to a mineral sapidity that amplifies the sip.
Manual harvest, destemming, 10 – 14 days of maceration in steel, 12 months of aging in small used barrels, at least 3 months of bottle aging. Obtained from vineyards located on the steep slope of Buchholz at 440 – 500 meters in the municipality of Salorno. The numerous small wine terraces benefit from high solar radiation on the northwestern slope.
A wine with a vertical character of excellent elegance and expressiveness. Rightfully among the best Pinot Noirs from Alto Adige for its ability to highlight the finesse rather than the power of the varietal. Remarkable quality-price ratio.
Vineyard Area: Bucholz
Pinot Noir Linticlarus 2020 – Tiefenbrunner
Description:
On the nose, it is complex and fine, with notes of raspberry and underbrush, accompanied by hints of medicinal herbs, white chocolate, suggestions of coffee powder, and spicy tones of black pepper. The sip is lively with lively acidity that provides sensational freshness and silky tannins synergistically linked to a mineral sapidity that amplifies the sip.
Hillside vineyard in Montagna and Corona with south/southwest exposure and altitude between 450 – 800 meters above sea level.
About 30% of the grapes are vinified whole-cluster in cement vats. After about 7 days of cold maceration, alcoholic fermentation lasts about 21 days. The wine is aged for 12 months in barriques (40% new). Then it matures for six months in large wooden barrels and, finally, another year in the bottle.
A linear wine of extraordinary elegance and expressiveness. A very exciting interpretation of Pinot Noir, rightfully among the best from Alto Adige/South Tyrol for its ability to combine volume, freshness, and drinkability.
Vineyard Area: Montagna, Corona
Maglen 2021 – Tramin
The nose initially plays on notes of wild raspberry, caramel, and sour cherries enriched by resin and toasted hints.
On the palate, it is characterized by well-defined and compact tannins, supported by a very pleasant sapid vein and pronounced acidity that gives smoothness and depth to the sip.
Obtained from vineyards located in Mazon and Glen at an altitude between 400-600 meters above sea level.
An intoxicating wine, among the best expressions of Pinot Noir from Alto Adige/South Tyrol for olfactory complexity and a substantial and penetrating palate.
Vineyard Area: Mazzon, Glen
Pinot Noir Riserva ‘Monticol’ 2021 – Cantina Terlano
Description:
Brushstrokes of currant and wild raspberries blend with nuances of wilted flowers and autumn spices.
On the palate, it is silky, with a delicate acidic edge that aids drinkability. A delicate and persistent finish.
A velvety Pinot Noir, with captivating and typical aromas. Rightfully among the best Pinot Noirs from Alto Adige/South Tyrol for smoothness and clarity of the fruit.
Vineyard Area: Monte Tschöggel
Pinot Nero ‘Hermius’ 2019 – Panizzi
Description: Captivating between red currant, pomegranate grains, eucalyptus and white chocolate. On the palate it is intense, juicy and enveloping, with a finish of good persistence on the fruit.
Hermius is the new label of the iconic San Gimignano Panizzi winery. It is an imaginative wine that expresses the unmistakable refined varietal character of Pinot Nero on the nose and that reveals itself on the palate with the richness and mineral flavor that distinguishes the San Gimignano terroir.
Surely among the best Pinot Noirs for its ability to renew the native Burgundy vine in an unprecedented and territorial key. Excellent value for money.
Tuscany region
Pinot Nero Riserva ‘Anrar’ 2019 – Andriano
Description: Spreads captivating notes of wild berries in jam, followed by a more austere character of goudron, tobacco and toasted notes. It stimulates the palate with a silky tannin and a good acidity that favors drinkability. Great flavor and excellent persistence.
‘AnRar’: a label that underlines the rarity of the wine and its origin, born from a very high quality cooperative. Among the best Pinot Noirs in Italy: opulent, savory and exciting.
Region: South Tyrol / South Tyrol
Pinot Nero ‘Fallwind’ Riserva 2019 – San Michele Appiano
Description: Blueberries and ripe blackberry followed by undergrowth, balsamic and spicy suggestions. Soft and smooth on the palate with dashed tannins and well integrated with the acidity that gives freshness.
A fascinating wine, which combines drinkability and character. One of the best Italian Pinot Noirs value for money.
Region: South Tyrol / South Tyrol
Pinot Nero 2017 – Elisabetta Dalzocchio
Description: Spreads intense ripe berries, raspberry, white chocolate and tobacco. In the mouth it is enveloping and savory with a well-defined and smooth tannin.
Good persistence on the fruit.
Deservedly one of the best Italian Pinot Noirs for olfactory eloquence: pressing on the nose and palate and capable of skilfully balancing finesse and strength.
Region: Trentino
Pinot Noir 2019 ‘Praesulis’ – Gumphof
Description: Olfactory spreads intense notes of wild strawberries, black cherry, musk, autumn spices and roasting.
Accentuated but smooth tannins and synergistically linked to a pressing and captivating acidity of backbone.
An engaging wine full of surprises, which combines volume and freshness in an exceptional way. Deservedly among the best Italian Pinot Noirs.
Region: South Tyrol / South Tyrol
Pinot Nero ‘Mason di Mason’ 2019 – Manincor
Description: It opens on the nose, clean and fragrant with intense hints of ripe berries, cherries in alcohol to which are added notes of graphite and humus.
The palate is juicy with silky tannins, of good persistence. Fruity closure of excellent persistence.
Opulent without sacrificing finesse, ‘Mason di Mason’ deserves to be counted among the best Italian Pinot Noirs for complexity and smoothness.
Region: South Tyrol / South Tyrol
Pinot Nero ‘Bachmann’ 2019 – Kellerei Bozen
Description: It suggests intense aromas of red berries, vanilla, humus and epiphanies of wild walks.
The sip is enveloping and soft, with a strong tannin and a pressing acidity.
In its own right, one of the best Italian Pinot Noirs: an elegant riot of fruit, an impeccable expression of the territory.
Region: South Tyrol / South Tyrol
Pinot Nero ‘Filari di Mazzon’ 2019 – Tenuta Ferruccio Carlotto
Description: Galvanizes the nose with nuances of small red fruits such as raspberries and wild strawberries, embellished with reminiscences of undergrowth, humus and medicinal herbs.
In the mouth it has silky tannins and an excellent acidity of backbone that gives drinkability and freshness.
An unusual persistence finish in which the varietal aromas of Pinot Nero echo clearly.
Long-limbed wine of great freshness that fascinates with its sensational taste-olfactory eloquence. Certainly among the best Italian Pinot Noirs.
Region: South Tyrol / South Tyrol
Pinot Nero ‘Vigna Baragazza’ 2019 – Marchesi Pancrazi
Description: On the nose, notes of wild strawberries, raspberry and eucalyptus stand out, embellished with delicate autumn spices and medicinal herbs.
On the palate it is juicy and savory with sweet tannins integrated synergistically with a strong acidity. Sensational persistence on the fruit.
Vigna Baragazza is an elegant and slender label, a virtuous interpretation of the territory. Full title among the best Italian Pinot Noirs for the enhancement of the grape variety and the taste-olfactory complexity.
Tuscany region
Pinot Nero 2019 – Hartmann Donà
Description: A riot of candied red fruit, black cherry and plums that fade towards withered flowers, licorice and mentholated sensations. The sip is soft and balanced, with a good savory vein.
One of the best Italian Pinot Noirs for fullness and olfactory eloquence, sumptuous synthesis of pulp and balsamic quality.
Region: South Tyrol / South Tyrol
Pinot Nero ‘Noir’ 2019 – Tenuta Mazzolino
Description: Titilla the slumbering nose with incisive notes of red currant, morello cherry and delicate woody notes. On the palate it is broad and intense, with thick but smooth tannins synergistically linked to a tantalizing acidity that favors drinking. Final with delicate references to the fruit and spices.
Impeccable value for money, one of the best expressions of Italian Pinot Noir from Oltrepò Pavese.
Lombardy region
Pinot Nero ‘L’ Emerico’ 2019 – Ottin
Description: olfactory sensation layered on wild strawberries, white pepper, orange peel and pellennate of alpine flora. The palate is fresh, enveloping and caressing, with a very pleasant smooth tannin. Great persistence with hints of fruit and vegetables.
Ottin gives us a label of rare elegance, with a highly recognizable olfactory finesse. Deservedly among the best Pinot Noirs for enological precision and enjoyment at the sip.
Region: Aosta Valley
Pinot Nero Elevé en Fut de Chene ‘Semel Pater’ 2020- Anselmet
Description: The nose is complex and fine, outlining notes of raspberry, and undergrowth alongside nuances of medicinal herbs, white chocolate, suggestions of coffee powder and spicy tones of black pepper. The sip is lively with a strong acidity that gives sensational freshness and silky tannins synergistically linked to a mineral flavor that amplifies the sip.
A long-limbed wine of extraordinary elegance and expressiveness. A very exciting interpretation of Pinot Noir, fully among the best in Italy for its ability to combine volume, freshness and drinkability.
Region: Aosta Valley
Pinot Nero ‘Pernice’ 2019 –Conte Vistarino
Description: With an affable nose of morello cherry and cherry that gradually makes room for more austere, toasted and roasted notes.
In the mouth it is juicy and velvety, with an engaging and measured tannic texture and an excellent persistence with references to the fruit.
One of the best Italian Pinot Noirs, elegant and engaging, with a fruity finish of sensational persistence.
Lombardy region
Pinot Nero ‘Fortuni’ 2015 – Podere Fortuna
Description: The nose opens with notes of cherry, currant, wild blackberry and fresh rose, followed by balsamic and undergrowth suggestions.
On the palate it is long and balanced, with a good savory vein that gives it freshness. Persistent closure on the fruit and spices.
A fresh Pinot Noir from Tuscany wrapped in an elegant balsamic mantle and with officinal references, very convincing. Deservedly among the best Italian Pinot Noirs.
Area: Tuscany
Pinot Nero ‘Ventisei’ 2019 – Il Rio
Description: It reveals itself to the penetrating and eloquent nose, pressing on notes of small red fruits, followed by notes of fields of poppies and aromatic herbs and sweet spices.
The sip is warm and vigorous with a measured tannic texture and expansive acidity.
One of the best Italian Pinot Noirs: it opens like a peaco*ck tail, a refined nose that spreads wide and vigorous on the palate.
Tuscany region
What are the best Italian Pinot Noirs?
What are the best Italian Pinot Noirs? Choosing is a difficult undertaking, which however inevitably is subject to the limits of a subjective opinion, which as such, by definition, is deficient and arbitrary.
We have simply compiled a list of our favorite interpretations according to our evaluations. However, it remains essential to underline that wine is not born as a status symbol, to be exhibited or flaunted coram populo.
But to excite us and be shared in a genuine way with the people we love, binding ourselves to contingent situations and to the unrepeatable and intimate moments of our life.
Therefore, we invite you to visit wineries and get to know the producers who produce wines in their uniqueness, so that you can independently discover and choose the wine that can be counted for you among your personal favorite wines. If you have had the patience to read this far, thank you for your attention, but now is the time to fill the glasses and cut the distant hopes, and therefore:
Cheers, Salute, Santé
Jean Marco Palmieri
