Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard, Kutch 2016

12% alcohol. Vineyard is located 8.2 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Soils are marine quartz sandstone and Goldridge. Vine age is 13+ years. Clones are dijon “828,” 115 and 777 on 101 x 14 rootstock. A very cold site. Planted in 2001 by owners Ron and Judy Lougheed. Very intense and small clusters with berries the size of peas. Yields often less than 1 ton per acre. · Moderate garnet color in the glass. Intoxicating nose of pie cherry, pipe smoke and exotic spice. Mouth filling goodness in a mid weight style offering flavors of cherry, raspberry, burnt tobacco and spice. Plenty of tannic backbone for support working in harmony with welcome acidity. The polished mouthfeel is striking as is the extraordinarily long finish. Still exceptional when tasted four days after a bottle was opened and re-corked. This wine shows the most whole cluster character of the wines in the 2016 lineup.

12% alcohol. There’s a haunting aromatic quality to this wine, with floral red cherries and some fine herbal characters. On the palate there’s a silky texture to the sweet cherry, raspberry and plum fruit with a fine herbal twist and a touch of earthy savouriness. Ripe but with a fresh, sappy bite and some good structure. A beguiling, pretty wine, but with seriousness. It picks up weight on day two, with the herbal character gaining prominence.

Robust in exotic spicy cardamom and wildflowers, this is from a site the producer considers its most marginal, and it retains a racy on-the-edge character that's hard to pinpoint. Pomegranate, rosemary, sage and clove all appear along a taut tight-grained texture seasoned in irresistible white pepper.