Garagiste Merricks Pinot Noir 2023

This always hits the right spot, bullseye, and all for its excellent fruit, tannin structure, balance and beauty. Thankfully, better yields this vintage allowing 33% whole bunches into the ferment then nine months in French oak, 25% new. It’s heady with florals, woodsy spices, autumn leaves and twigs, while the fuller-bodied palate takes in dark cherries, poached rhubarb and chinotto with blood orange, too. Tangy, juicy acidity rides in tandem with the textural raw silk tannins. Energising now in its youth and promising to develop more complexity in time.

Spicy, wheaty, some green bunch and frisky perfume, raspberry and cherry, with an earthy tobacco sort of flavour, in with bold cherry and spiced plum. It has energy, and yes, there’s some winemaking magic at play here, though it works and the balance between sweet fruit and sappy spice is so appealing. Tannin is firm. Cherry pip richness is there. But the whole thing works so well. Blood orange tang and spice on a finish of excellent length. Dusty and spicy to close. Yep. Uncompromising in a way, but very good.

Delicate strawberry compote melds with bunchy spice, wilting red florals and earth first off, with rhubarb and autumnal leaves thereafter as the wine starts to express. There’s a lovely red fruit and savoury interplay aromatically which blossoms in the glass. The palate has excellent vibrancy leading with sappy cherry, red florals, and strawberry before a rhubarb and tangy blood orange back palate. Sappy, earthy tannins frame the finish along with a latent wash of tangy acid. Great energy, complexity, and balance on show here. Time in the cellar will allow this to truly shine.