The 2008 Hatter’s Hill Pinot Noir has a medium ruby-purple color and moderate intensity of earthy, forest floor and damp soil aromas with wild strawberries and warm raspberries in the background. Medium bodied with a medium level of fine grained tannins, there is a nice backbone of refreshing acid that remains through the long earthy finish. Drink it now to 2015+. Delta is a label I’ve admired for the value it has consistently offered since its inception. A joint venture between UK based importer/wholesaler David Gleave MW and locally based flying winemaker Matt Thomson, this pair has yet to put a foot wrong across their various ventures in the wine world.No known USA importer.

The 2007 Hatters Hill Pinot Noir has a lifted raspberry leaf, blueberry and iodine-tinged bouquet with good definition, the palate medium-bodied with a sharp, red cherry-driven entry, nice weight on the mid-palate and perhaps just lacking a little complexity towards the tart finish.No known American importer.

The impressive Hatters Hill 2006 Pinot Noir is more sullen with brambly fruits, almost animally in style, subdued on the entry but gaining in intensity with aeration, developing an almost Northern Rhone-like pepperiness towards the sumptuous finish. This is certainly a name to watch for in the future.For a long time, winemaker/consultant Matt Thomson had been searching for a suitable site in Marlborough to start his joint-venture with David Gleave MW and when he finally discovered a triangular-shaped hill to the west of Blenheim in 2000, the dream turned reality. The regular Pinot Noir comes from the flat section of the vineyard, Hatters Hill from an elevation that rises to 175m. Importer: Vintus Wines, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000; fax (914) 769-7112