Another debut English wine from @sophieevanss (see my last post about her Pinot Gris).

This is one of only 298 bottles produced. Like the Pinot Gris, this shows a bit of rubbery reduction on the nose. Unsurprisingly quite closed on the first day, but pure black and red cherry notes gradually unfurl themselves over the course of three days.

This spent 12 months in stainless steel, and it only weighs in at 10.7% abv, but this is anything but one-dimensional. Immensely pure on the palate. Balanced, mouth-watering acidity. The relatively low abv adds the sense of purity. The tannins need about 24 hours to emerge – they are light but bring added freshness and urgency. Slightly peppery, perfumed hints on day three.

Hard to describe – uncomplicated but complex, if that’s not a contradiction in terms. Quite a dense body. More than the sum of its parts. This should be even better in five years’ time. But I only had bought one bottle, and life is too short.

#naturalwine #englishwinemovement #englishwine #pinotnoir #spätburgunder #pinotnero