Passion for Pinot: A Journey Through America's Pinot Noir Country

California and Oregon are home to Pinot's greatest expressions in the New World. In Passion for Pinot, award-winning photographers Robert Holmes and Andrea Johnson and wine writer Jordan Mackay capture the grape's allure through portraits and profiles of the top Pinot producers and terroirs on the West Coast.

Mackay's engaging narrative chronicles the different stylistic approaches to growing and vinifying Pinot and tells the story of the dedicated winemakers responsible for elevating the grape to its exalted status. The evocative photography of Holmes and Johnson showcases the many landscapes, seasons, and faces of Pinot Noir in America. Throughout the book, quotes, facts, and maps help make Passion for Pinot an illuminating and entertaining guide to a singularly beguiling grape.

Andrea Johnson is a freelance photographer specializing in wine and travel. She has covered many of the world's wine regions, and her photographs are regularly featured in publications such as Wine Spectator, VIA, Sunset, the San Francisco Chronicle and National Geographic. Her previous books include photography for Rick Steves' Europe through the Back Door series, and her commercial clients are many of the premiere Pinot Noir producers worldwide.

Jordan Mackay has devoted the last eight years to exploring, understanding and writing about wine. After writing for Texas Monthly and serving as a wine columnist for the Austin American-Statesman, he became wine and spirits editor for San Francisco's 7x7 magazine and a contributing writer to Wine and Spirits. He has also written about food and wine for Food & Wine, Gourmet, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

7  Foreword: by Eric Asimov

9  Chapter 1: A Perfect Storm of Pinot

29  Chapter 2: Terroir

73  Chapter 3: A Year in the Vineyard

115  Chapter 4: From Grape to Wine

135  Chapter 5: In the Glass

155  Acknowledgments

158  Index