Mike Press Pinot Noir 2023

Single-vineyard Pinot Noir from vines planted in 1998 to the Burgundian 777 clone, aged six months in French oak. Wild strawberries, red and dark cherries and rich autumn fruits are laced with violets and subtle spice over a savoury, earthy undercurrent of beetroot, dried leaves and undergrowth. Medium-bodied and dry, silky with fine, polished tannins, gliding to a long, moreish, slightly herbal finish. Drink now or cellar for five years.

The 2023 fruit ripened slowly under what the winery calls a lingering summer sun. In the shed the bunches are pressed whole and the wine spends three to four days on skins. It then goes by hand into barrel for malolactic conversion and six months in French oak. The height of the site keeps the wine light on its feet.

Mike Press planted 22 hectares at Kenton Valley in 1998 and 1999. Bob and Yuko Harris bought the vineyard and the business in 2017. They kept the pricing model, which rests on watching every cost from the ground to the glass.

Campbell Mattinson gave the 2023 90 points and found summer berries, orange rind and sweet spice, with cedar and dried flowers behind, ready now. The winery's own match is Peking duck pancakes, and half an hour in a decanter opens the red fruit up.