The 2008 Single Vineyard Southern Clays Pinot Noir has deep ripe raspberry, boysenberry and blueberry on the nose with a touch of Chinese 5-spice. The palate is medium-bodied, quite spicy, firm tannins with good weight, leading to a rather chunky, mulberry and blackberry finish that lacks a little complexity. That said, I fell this is Villa's best Pinot Noir at present. Drink now-2013. The clement weather during the 2009 vintage meant that Villa Maria's winemaking team faced a 20% above average crop. Bearing in mind the pitfalls of over-production in 2008, strict yield controls were imposed on each winery, with many lopping off a whole cane. Villa Maria continues to produce a strong diverse portfolio that embraces entry-level varietals to limited bottlings of single vineyards. As mentioned in previous reports their Pinot Noirs remain their Achilles heel in an otherwise impressive, diverse range. In particular, I feel that their Syrah are really coming into their own. I have included wines from Vidal and Esk Valley that are under the same umbrella, but treated separately. Importer: Ste Michelle Wine Estates, Woodinville, WA; tel. (800) 267-6793