Terra Sancta Pinot Noir 2024

Terra Sancta's Estate Pinot Noir expresses the family's Felton Road vineyard in Bannockburn. A lifted, layered nose of nutmeg, chocolate, red cherries and licorice leads into a concentrated, refined palate of vibrant red plums and cherries, licorice root and hints of sandalwood, with a lengthy finish of wild thyme and spice. Hand-picked and fermented with wild yeast, aged ten months in mixed barrique and large-format oak. Made with no additives, neither fined nor filtered.

Most of the fruit comes from Slapjack and Sarah's, the oldest blocks on the Felton Road estate, on schist and limestone. El Niño ran the 2024 season, bringing dry weather and high winds from mid-November through February. A frost on 24 January did no real damage. Rain on 21 February and cooler nights settled things down for a steady ripening, and picking began on 26 March.

The wine was bottled on site on 18 February 2025. Alongside the red cherry there is dark bramble, violet and a plum weight to the palate, spicy and fresh rather than heavy. The older vines give it that extra grip and length.

It drinks well now, and Terra Sancta expects the estate wine to build complexity for nine years or more. Open it half an hour ahead and serve it just below room temperature, with duck or a mushroom risotto.