Iona Estate, Limited Release Pinot Noir 2012, South Africa
Iona Estate in the cooler Elgin region of the Cape found fame with its Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, and undoubtedly one of its star estates is Iona, where winemaker Andrew Gunn fashions very pure, very elegant wines. This Pinot Noir is still essentially experimental, the first vintage being 2009, but it is typically Iona, all about lightness and gracefulness rather than density or power. The colour is a pale, almost transparent ruby, with soft and autumnal aromas, briar and truffle melting into cherry and redcurrant. It flirts with floral and mineral characters, and seems barely extracted at all. On the palate it is light, keen and juicy, the oak terribly discreet, allowing the gentle beetroot and mushroom notes to play alongside the red berries, the acid and tannin structure gentle but decisive, to give this spice and length too. A lovely Pinot, genuinely in a Burgundian mould, and not for those who seek ‘bigness’ in their Pinots.15.99, Harrogate Fine Wine, 16.50, The Wine Society. See other stockists on .
