A great Tolpuddle. Suckling 98:
Another exceptional bottling from this famous producer. Deeply perfumed, brooding aromas of blue and black fruits are supported with underlying notes of forest floor, pencil shavings, pomegranate, rose petals and dried herbs. The silken palate has firmly framed, rounded tannins balanced by mineral-driven acidity. This Grand Cru-level pinot noir will last for decades to come, albeit fresh, reduced and seductive now. Brilliant.
Also Halliday 98 and best ever:
A wonderfully perfumed and composed wine that comes across as a little finer in aromatic detail than the excellent '23 release. It's an amalgam of clones – 777, 667, Abel, Pommard, MV6 and some that winemaker Adam Wadewitz snaffled from Best's Great Western – all playing their part in the final blend. Vibrant dark cherry, red berry and raspberry fruit tones mesh with hints of exotic spice, a whiff of negroni, juniper, wild strawberry, almond paste, integrated vanillin oak, meadow flowers and crushed stone. Everything plays at concert pitch, with complex whole bunch (50%) notes, the gentle tension of ground-riverstone tannins and a fine, mineral line as the wine slowly trails away. A cracking release that smells and tastes of a special place.
