The 2021 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is a step up from the 2020. I accept that vintages coax and yield different characters from vineyards—and I love that—however, some do it better than others. The 2021 vintage was cool, long and without advent, meaning the grapes were picked in good condition at a time that suited vignerons. That is obvious here in the glass. While the fruit is pure and driven, it is possessed of an admirable consistency and harmony in the mouth. The tannins, again, are a huge highlight: chalky and chewy, more pronounced than in 2020 (interesting), and the ductility of them is 10/10 attractive.

The fruit for this 2020 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir was sourced from Lenswood and Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills. It was wild fermented in open-top fermenters with 50% whole bunches in the ferment. There are aromas of crunchy red apples, creaming soda, arnica, coffee grounds, leather and tobacco leaf. This is both savory and sweet, febrile and nervy at once. It has notes of redcurrants, new-season strawberry and red licorice. The plume of tannins through the finish is the highlight here: chalky and delicate, but lingering, too.