Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Pinot Noir 2024

This is a mix of Palmer and Brunnen fruit, all whole berry fermented with 10 to 15% new oak. It’s savoury, foresty, autumnal – a wine of beautiful balance and lingering, evocative length. Fragrant dark cherry, earth and nutmeg lead before giving way to subtle notes of pine needle, rhubarb and forest floor. With air, a deeper undergrowth character emerges, adding complexity. There’s a fine mineral thread laced with cherry, along with a hint of raspberry that lifts from the glass to fill out the fruit profile. On the palate, there’s wild raspberry and dark cherry that hover on the cusp of tartness, bringing energy. Light to medium-bodied, but with lovely texture. Tannins are ultra-fine and diaphanous, yet still manage to frame the wine with a gentle grip through the back palate along with surges of acidity driving a salivating finish. Delicious.