Pinot Noir

 - One of France's most legendary grapes and the grape variety that gave Burgundy its reputation. The parent of varieties such as Pinot Gris /Grigio and Pinot Blanc , Pinot Noir is blue to violet to indigo in color with relatively thin skins, and it has been grown in France for over 2,000 years. At its best, Pinot Noir creates elegant wines that are filled with primary aromas and flavors of red fruit while young, revealing a range of secondary characteristics such as earth, smoke, violet, truffle and game with age. The variety is also known, perhaps better than any other, for its ability to translate terroir, or sense of place. While the best Pinot Noir still comes from Burgundy, it is being produced with increasing success in cooler climates around the world. In France, it is part of the trifecta of grapes that can be made into Champagne and is also grown in Alsace, Irancy, Jura, Savoie, Lorraine and Sancerre. Outside France it is produced under the names Pinot Nero and Blauburgunder in the mountainous regions of Italy, as Spätburgunder in Germany and as Blauburgunder in Austria. In the US, Pinot Noir has found suitable growing conditions in the cooler parts of California, including Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands, and Santa Barbara County, as well as Oregon's Willamette Valley. In recent years, New Zealand has shown it can interpret this difficult-to-grow variety, with successful bottlings coming from careful and attentive growers in Central Otago, Martinborough and Canterbury.

France

When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it for quality and diversity. And while much of the region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne obviously produce wine as rare, sought after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many ambiguities and values to be found from little-known appellations across the country. To learn all about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, all you have to do is taste it.

Burgundy

 - The province of eastern France, famous for its red wines produced from Pinot Noir and its white wines produced from Chardonnay . (Small amounts Gamay and Aligoté are still grown, although these must be labeled differently.) The region's most famous part is known as the Côte d'Or (the Golden Slope). It is divided into the Côte de Beaune, south of the city of Beaune (mostly known for its white wines), and the Côte de Nuits, north of Beaune (home to the most famous red wines). In addition, the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais are important wine-growing regions, although historically a marked level (or more) below the Côte d'Or. Some also include the regions of Chablis and Auxerrois further north.

Corton

 - The hill of Corton, a steep slope with a forest, overlooks the Grand Cru vineyard of Corton and the towns of Ladoix-Serrigny and Aloxe-Corton in the Côte de Beaune. This is the first area south of the town of Beaune. Corton is the only Grand Cru red from the Côte de Beaune. The southeastern part of this vineyard produces Grand Cru white and is called Corton Charlemagne. Famous Premier Cru vineyards are Corton Bressandes, Corton Renardes and Corton Clos du Roi.