AJ | Translucent dark black-red. Fresh, almost leafy nose -- a cooler site? Or an earlier pick, a new wave? So a kind of aromatic urgency here, and you expect a more slender palate ... and indeed that's what you get. Not quite green, but the definition of 'ripeness' here is rather different from the Willamette norm, but it may as I said reflect site. It's a good wine, very pure, lively, nimble, gastronomic, palate-cleansing and stylistically exciting. I was going to reference Hautes Cotes but actually it is much better than that (as a norm), with a much firmer, riper and finer fruit core. Valid.Drink Dates: 2024 - 2029. 92
AR | Mid-ruby, now evolving and shading to garnet at the rim, this is attractively perfumed, mingling as it does both cherry and raspberry fruit aromas with distinct herbal notes of thyme and oregano, all underpinned by an additional spicy note from the oak interplay; the dark berry fruit spliced with herb and light spicy oak is underpinned in an elegantly textured red by a refreshingly juicy acidity that whose savory finish makes it one of the most food-friendly styles I've yet encountered.Drink Dates: 2024 - 2031. 94
DW | Concentrated but polished, this is a smartly tailored and elegant Pinot with a lovely seam of fresh almost mineral acidity that brings so much energy and glide - I suspect this will age beautifully, but the finely judged tannins and that racy-raspberry quality make it very appealing and refreshing now.Drink Dates: 2024 - 2032. 93