Holm Oak The Protégé 2022

There’s a fun and interesting story behind the name of many of the Holm Oak wines, thanks to the property’s grand slam tennis racquet history. It’s too involved to dive into here, but it’s quirky and worth a visit to the cellar door or the website to read about. This Tamar Valley Pinot Noir is a beautiful clear, bright toned ruby hue in the glass. Juicy ripe red morello cherry, vanillin, cloves, star anise, black plum and a whiff of black pepper crushed with graphite. This is a balanced and well-crafted expression of the grape, with a firm acid frame and delicate finely woven tannins allowing the fruit to breathe and really shine as it ducks and weaves through the mouth. On that note, duck is such an obvious and overused pairing for Pinot Noir, but this really would be damn superb with a plate of duck pancakes, wrapped up in a neat parcel with hoisin sauce and spring onions. A very moreish pinot noir that keeps on giving.