CASTLE ROCK ESTATE 'A&W' PINOT NOIR 2024 ($60 / Porongurup WA)
96 Points
Harvested from the original 1986 plantings, the fruit was fermented and matured in French oak with extended lees contact.
The result is a tightly structured and layered youthful Pinot Noir of class and promise.
It's truly a 'steel fist in a velvet glove'. The smooth yet grippy palate channels aromas and flavours of dark cherries, wafts of tobacco and pencil shavings.
This is a Pinot Noir of complexity and depth which will reward short term cellaring but delivering generously at present.
We enjoyed ours with a traditionally paired dish of roast duck and winter vegetables.
Gilbert Labour