Tasting Notes
Decanter 93
A dense, mineral, terroir-driven Pinot, that’s like a coiled spring at present. There are lots of herbal blackberry and perfumed cherry fruit layers lurking alongside the flinty tones, creamy lees and charred oak, but it is still nervy and nascent. A complex, serious wine that’s full of potential.
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2032
Wine-Pages.com 94
Around 65% Able clone in this vintage, more than in other years, as one block – Block F – suffered in the cool summer and did not produce the quality of fruit required. Aromatic like the A2, more cinammon and clove notes here perhaps, but a similar bowl of exotic spices, flowers and bold and succulent red fruits. There is maybe an extra layer of depth here – not exactly depth but a dark compote character, creamy and almost like a spiced plum pudding. Once again, there is a base of espresso and that hessian quality that is savoury. Very firm fruit on the palaate, edged by liquorice and a depth of dark plum skins giving grip that the charming A2 doesn’t quite possess. This is a structured Pinot, built for ageing I’d say, with a more rugged overall character, but the balance of taut tannins, acid and that brooding depth of fruit all in place.
Vinous 93
The 2019 Pinot Noir A1 is a scented and layered style, offering dark chocolate and dark cherry character with underlying fennel, rose petal and festive spices. This is a mid-weight, reflecting the cooler vintages in its tension and poise. Elegant and supple in the mouth with a corset of tension holding it in focus, the wine’s structure builds toward the lengthy and fragrant conclusion. The tannins are very well handled, providing satisfying grip, and, in combination with the fresh acidity, this wine has the structural framework as well as the fruit concentration to evolve from its youthful, current self over the coming decade – maybe more. Who knows? This is only the eighth vintage of this cuvée, so predictions are educated guesswork.
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2032
