There’s no hiding the fact that this beautifully rich Pinot contains a good amount of fruit from Bill Pannell’s coveted “Burgundy” vineyard. This is a superb, mouth-filling red wine with profound varietal characters. The wine is truly made as much through traditional, studied, hands-on viticulture as it is by techniques in the winery. Bill’s vineyard is planted with traditional Burgundian row spacings and trellis heights. It’s a real back breaker and much more work per acre than the other Picardy vines, but Bill would have it no other way. The proof is in the bottle. This vintage has an incredibly complex aroma, as should all fine Pinot. Beneath intense berry fruit characters are bready, biscuity, briar, leather, honey, sweet oak and truffle nuances. Palate weight and concentration are exceptional, with sweet fruit balanced by a hint of cherry pip. Structure is maintained by balanced acidity and lots of ripe, silky tannins. The great complexity and concentration can be attributed to very low yields and a long, cool vintage.
Bill says that it is definitely the best Pinot released by Picardy so far and one of the best wines he has ever been involved in making.