Colour: Ruby red colour

Nose: Red fruits and berries. Think of raspberries, pomegranates, red lapin cherries. Some rhubarb too. A touch of whole-bunch character gives some fennel-like herbaceousness and a jasmine-tea character. A hint of sweet spice. Cinnamon and clove.

Palate: On the palate it’s all red fruits up front. Bright, juicy and elegant. The fresh acid line carries the fruit through to the finish. There’s a textural, chewy, element to the mid palate with soft, round tannins and a hint of charcuterie. More secondary/savoury flavours emerge towards the end, as does the gentle oak influence – with slight vanillin notes.

Winemaking notes:

• Harvested by hand over 6 separate picks between the 26^th March and 12^th April 2021
• Two clones of Pinot Noir used from 2 separate vineyard sites both at 950m ASL
• 50:50 777 and MV6 clones
• Each pick wild yeast-fermented as whole berries in 1 tonne open fermenters and kept separate until blending.
• 100% Whole bunch fermentation used for one component which makes up about 15% of the blend.
• Plunged by hand twice daily during fermentation then pressed gently once dry.
• Settled and then racked to 225L French oak barriques for maturation (10 months). Approximately 15% new oak.
• Wine undergoes malolactic fermentation naturally in Spring.
• Blended Jan 2022, allowed to settle for several weeks before bottling early Feb unfined and unfiltered.

“Picked from two separate sites at 950m elevation; 15% whole bunches, 10 months in French barriques. Red cherries, pomegranate, sumac and dried rhubarb. Achieves the vibrancy it set out to accomplish but has picked up some tobacco, leather and autumn leaves along the way. Tannins support a well-gathered set of aromatics and a long lengthy palate with a touch of ferrous herbs.”

90 points

Shanteh Wale – Halliday Wine Companion