There is restraint on the nose, subtle black fruit aromatics, making way for flavours of blackberry, mulberry and bramble complexed by a hint of briary complexity. Even now, the texture is silky; expect age to bring a mellow, velvety quality that will flow seamlessly to a gentle finish of considerable softness and length. Importantly, it has precision and balance on a light, tight frame – just what you expect in a first rate example of the variety. There’s intensity, restrained power in the mid-palate and supple, fine tannins which grip gently.
For more than a quarter of a century, this Pinot Noir has been produced from fruit grown in the ultra-cool Piccadilly Valley. The approach to vinification has been strictly traditional and unwavering from year to year: hand harvested, foot plunged day and night in shallow open fermenters and matured in French oak (60% new) for ten months.
