Greywacke Pinot Noir 2021

Dark chocolate, walnuts, dried flowers, orange peel, and lead pencil. Medium-bodied with firm and racy tannins that give a linear feel and focus to this wine. Compact and polished tannins that run deep into the wine. Solid and curated texture. Drink or hold.

Layered with red apple blossom, cherry, strawberry, hints of pomegranate molasses and black tea, the 2021 Pinot Noir is floral and pretty on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is all of these things, lingering through the detailed and finessed finish. The silty tannins speak to the Southern Valleys vineyard from which the fruit is sourced. There is density ensconced with the light framework of the wine. Very good!

Cherry preserves, cocktail bitters, dusty, peppery spice and dried flowers are all at the fore on this fragrant, easy-to-like Pinot. There’s a brightness and lightness to the fruit, thanks to lovely acidity. It’s all wound up in well structured, textural tannins, with a mineral through line. A tightrope of elegance, power and age-worthiness, this hasn’t reached its peak yet and has perhaps a decade left in it.

Everyone has their personal memory bank of aromas, and when I tasted this I was taken back to a childhood visit to the Jorvik Viking Centre in York. After queuing outside for what seemed like an eternity, we boarded small carts on rails and were transported around the center, learning about life in Viking York. I remember the scary mannequins and the smell of smoked meats and log fires, and here they are in the glass (minus the mannequins). Once those savory characters yield, there is fruitcake, cinnamon spice, thyme and fennel. The tannins are rich and resolved, coating the mouth with a fine texture akin to licking a pebble while the acidity builds, providing satisfying refreshment. Rich, savory and fragrant on the finish. In a challenging vintage, this is a true success. Ready to drink, but with its substance and structure, it will evolve gracefully. (3/2021)

Fragrant and flavoursome pinot noir with plum, raspberry, wood smoke, cedar and subtle floral flavours. A medium-bodied wine, with a backbone of fine tannins that perfectly balance fruit sweetness. Accessible now but with cellaring potential. (3/2020)

Vibrant, with aromatics leaping out of the glass, including palo santo, sandalwood and a touch of singed tobacco, which complement the blackberry, blueberry and huckleberry flavors. Reveals spice notes of star anise, fennel and nutmeg, with a touch of green tea lingering on the finish.