I picked this up a few months ago, and it’s been sitting waiting for a special occasion (or person) to drink it with. Alas, both have been sorely lacking in my life as of late. So, I decided an overcast, sometimes rainy Tuesday in July was special enough. Although, it really isn’t. I mean, special. At least this summer.
I’ll admit I went into this expecting good things, since I’ve had Will Davenport’s wines before, and am a fan. Nonetheless, I did my best to remain critical. I should, however, in the interests of full disclosure, disclose that I spent a few days back in 2016(?) working the harvest at Davenport, along with my partner-in-wine, Julia.
In the glass
On the darker side of light, or the lighter side of medium. Ruby. Shiny. Very pretty. When you hold it up to the light, it shines like some red jewel, whose name escapes me at the moment. Starts with an R, I think.
The nose
Yes! Redcurrant, black cherry, mulberry, perhaps. Evident from the first – a nose I didn’t really have to work at to pretend to detect anything. Having said that, it’s not overpowering. But it is there, and that’s something.
The palate
Light, juicy, fresh. It’s like biting into a cherry. It’s not just about the flavour, although there are definitely cherries there. It’s the texture, somehow. It’s probably a bit unusual, but that’s the only way I can describe the mouthfeel. There’s black cherry, and in general the palate is a bit darker in its fruits than the nose was, but not much. Maybe a hint of plum, or blackberry mixed in with the red fruits.
It has a nice, but not overpowering acidity, with well-integrated tannins. It’s definitely a young wine, and while I wouldn’t age it for 10+ years, it could definitely handle a few more. But I don’t think I could keep a bottle of it around long enough to confirm this. A textbook young pinot noir.
It does strike me as rather potent, and I was amazed when I checked and saw it was only 11%. I thought I had lunch before tasting this, but perhaps I had forgotten. Or I’m just out of practice.
Rating
Yummy-Double-plus Good. Pretty on visuals. I think I’m in love.
It’s refreshing. Great on its own, but would also go well with food. (Gnocchi and eggs last night, a sort of thrown together dinner that didn’t do the wine justice.) I Coravined it, and had to exercise self-restraint I wasn’t sure I had to not pull the cork. I’ll probably do so soon, though.
Sustainability
Organic, low intervention, unfiltered.
The technical info
11%, Pinot Noir. £22.50 from Grape Britannia