(2021) From gravel and clay loam soils, this is 100$ Gingin clone, fermented using a combination of wild and cultured yeasts, and aged in new and older French oak barriques for 10 months. The nose is citrussy, with orange and just a gently creamy quality, a little nutty, almondy character and a hint of flintiness. Sweet, ripe and bold citrus and juicy apple on the palate, a fine line of acidity giving this lovely tension and freshness, the nougat and cream of the light oak treatment smoothing the juicy finish.
(2017) 30% whole bunch fruit, 40% wild yeast and 18 months in oak. A lovely briar and soft truffle and berry fruit, there's a touch of Chinese dried plum and flowers. There's plenty of weight, texture and sweetness, but it has structure with the spicy, chocolatey tannins and a firm plum skin acidity. My style of Pinot, and delicious. Note price and UK stockist quoted at time of review is for the 2013 vintage.
(2016) Aged in 40% new oak, this offers a nice combination of slightly buttery, quite Burgundian character (wild ferment) and a touch of flinty complex sulphides. The palate has really ripe, sweet fruit, more obviously sweet and full than some, and though it has good acids, perhaps doesn't hang together quite as well, the acid a little pithy and stark against that sweetness - at this stage at least.
