This wine marks our 15th consecutive vintage of Pinot Noir from Elgin but for the first time, with fruit from our very own vineyard at Radford Dale Organic. Winter of 2020, was colder than the previous season, with much higher rainfall, which replenished water resources and led to sufficient cold accumulation to break dormancy. The cold and wet weather continued into Spring, which contributed to homogenous, but delayed bud-break and initial growth. Flowering and set were mostly efficient and even, while shoot and leaf growth picked up the pace by the start of November. Temperatures remained moderate to the coolest Summer experienced in years.

The grapes were all hand-picked at dawn to capture freshness and acidity while retaining elegance in the flavour expression. The bunches were brought into our Organic cellar for hand sorting. Whole berry fermentation took place in open top 228l and 300l oak barrels, resulting in a wonderfully perfumed fruit expression. By using only hands to punch down the caps, only the finest tannin was extracted during the 10 day maceration. After fermentation, the skins were then basket pressed and the wine transferred directly to a selection of 3rd and 4th fill barrels. Only 10% new oak was used in support of the lovely fruit concentration achieved in the vineyard. The maturation of the wine, on the lees, lasted for almost 10 months before we assembled the barrels and then bottling.

Ideal with duck and other game birds, casseroles or, of course, stews like beef bourguignon.