2017 Gathered Stones Hopewell Hills

Dark, lip-smacking bramble fruit on the nose. Picks the perfect line between ripeness and savouriness on the palate, with plentiful soy, mushroom and forest-floor character. Expansive in style, with herbal stemmy elements, suitably tamed oak spice and long, persistent dark fruit. A great burgundy should feel complimented by any comparison … yet it is still distinctively New World, I feel, thanks to the sheer purity of fruit. Finishes with softness but warmth. (RH)

Brilliant magenta. Intensely perfumed red and blue fruit, exotic spice and incense aromas show superb delineation and mineral lift. Vibrant cherry, red berry preserve, spicecake and candied rose flavors stain the palate and take on a spicy aspect on the back half. Concentrated but lively as well, with a bracing core of minerality adding focus. Finishes gently chewy, spicy and extremely long, showing polished tannins and lingering boysenberry, mineral and floral notes.

The 2017 Pinot Noir Hopewell Hills—Gathered Stones comes from a particular piece of the Hopewell Hills vineyard. Medium ruby-purple, it opens with tar and scorched earth notes over a core of blackberries, black cherries, smoked cranberries and baked rhubarb with accents of orange peel, dried roses, tea leaves and bitters. The palate is medium-bodied, super silky and intense, unfurling to layers of fruits, spices and citrus with earthy touches. It has a firm but ripe frame and seamless freshness on the long, nuanced finish. Lovely! Make sure to decant this or give it another year or two in bottle. 244 cases were made.