2020 Earth Smoke Pinot Noir

The 2020 Pinot Noir Earth Smoke is a massively different wine from its stablemate Angel Flower, giving a more expansive wine that blossoms in the mouth without any sense of weight. There's elegance and sense of precision. And do you know what? It feels special. If I were tasting blind, aromatically, I'd think it were a cool climate Syrah with sandalwood, fennel, agave and white pepper characters in abundance alongside pure cherry fruit. The finish is fresh and precise.

Botanicals collection. Waikari vineyard. Same winemaking as Angel Flower but Earth Smoke is an east-facing block with slightly more clay and active lime than the north-facing Angel Flower block. Rich nose with great depth. Really dancing and well judged. Lots to bite on. Youthful and dry but not drying. Great potential. (JR)

Planted between 2000 and 2002 at a high density of 11,111 vines/ha and farmed biodynamically from inception. An expansive, east-facing slope. Strong, well-structured soils; 25% clay, 15% active lime. Hand-harvested 6 and 14 April 2020 (later than Angel Flower). Fully destemmed and fermented with yeasts from the vineyard, gently fermented using ‘infusion methods’ for 21–27 days. Settled in tank before being transferred to French wooden vats and smaller barrels. Elevage of 18 months, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. Vegan friendly. pH 3.67, TA 5.6 g/l. 809 cases of 6 produced. Deeper, more earthy, more savoury than the Angel Flower. Smells richer and riper. More grip, too. More muscular but still has an echo of the light, lifted floral, ethereal character of Angel Flower and opens to a floral cloud that hangs over the wine. And it has the same stony/dusty aftertaste of the finest tannin texture. Great freshness though this isn't really what you notice because the wine is such a complete whole. (JH)