Mr Riggs Valerie Pinot Noir 2023

Leaving his McLaren Vale home base to plug into the Adelaide Hills for a set of varietals more suited to that cooler region, Ben Riggs has double lucked it this 2023 vintage with even cooler weather than average, encouraging a delicate style, quite floral and spiced aromatically, a sense of Mediterranean scrub evaporating in the summer sun. This then folds into a brightness in the fruit, a dried cherry feel, a faint note of pomegranate, all quite buoyant as you taste – perhaps the result of a small percentage of whole bunch in the ferment – while a subtle woodiness adds depth, 20% new oak just enough to build savoury complexity into a moreish, juicy palate. Well balanced, neatly crafted, very drinkable.

Tony Love

Journalist at Winepilot

Tony is best known for his 10 years as News Corp’s National Wine Writer, with weekly columns in major metropolitan mastheads throughout Australia including The Adelaide Advertiser, The Sydney Daily Telegraph and the Melbourne Herald Sun. He continues to write feature articles and columns for all the major Australian wine media publications. Tony has also worked as a restaurant reviewer, section editor, book editor, digital content provider, journalism teacher and was named Wine Communicators of Australia 2018 Legend of the Vine (SA). Find out more about Tony at tonylove.com.au

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