Pinot Noir

This is the heartbreaker. Notoriously difficult to grow because it has very thin skins that make it susceptible to anything you can think of and very difficult to get a depth of colour. In a warm environment it ripens way too quickly and gives dull and overpriced wines. In a marginal (read cold) climate when it all goes right it makes the best wines on the planet. Red fruits of raspberries and strawberries with an elegance and concentration that is almost ethereal combine with vegetal notes like truffle. This grape can express its origins like no other (with the possible exception of Riesling) so you had better get it from somewhere interesting.