Stonier Merricks Pinot Noir 2024

The first bottling of Merricks Pinot Noir under Julian Grounds guiding eye. This is a blend of Gance and Stonier vineyards. All MV6, wild yeast with 20% whole bunch and aged in French barriques of which 11% was new. Plenty of rambutan, red cherries and some bilberries. Here the whole bunch of spice takes on a woodier and more rufous toned nature. Some bloody meat and ironstone. Sumac and pink peppercorn. Tannins spread evenly with deliberate saturation, there is also some generosity to its viscosity. It’s a wine for tomato based stews, or slow cooked meats. Drinking well now or will cellar for 6-8 years further easily. This is not a wine you will easily forget, its muscle and staying power worth the price alone.