Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir 2015

The Wine Front – Dark cherry, aniseed, earth, spicy cinnamon oak on show, plenty of spice. Medium bodied, but firmly tannic, with a black tea character, ‘minerality’ aplenty, ginger biscuit, intense and driving, with serious length leaving a fan of tannin in its wake. Needs at least three years in bottle. Serious stuff.

World Wine – Full, even, dark, black-red colour, a little lighter on the edge. This has a full, rich nose of ripe black cherry and black-berried fruits with notes of liquorice and lifted spicy oak, entwined with fine black herb and savoury whole bunch stalk perfumes. The nose has real intensity and vitality. Medium-full bodied, the palate is wonderfully rich and succulent with flavours of ripe black cherry and black-berried fruits, along with blackberry compote and a layering of spicy oak, with well-integrated whole bunch stalk elements and dark herb detail. The fruit sweetness and richness is balanced by very fine-grained powdery tannin extraction, and the palate is enlivened by fresh, vibrant acidity lending vitality and energy. The wine carries to a very long, lingering finish of black fruits, liquorice and spices. This is a succulently rich and vibrant, black-fruited Pinot Noir with layers of spice, oak, dark herbs and whole cluster complexities on a very fine-grained, fresh palate. Match with Middle Eastern lamb dishes and most game meats over the next 8-9+ years. 19.5/20 Points Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, April 2017

Wine Spectator – This powerful wine is tightly wound yet very expressive, with plenty of torque to the plum and blood orange flavors at the core, slowly revealing details of cedar, tobacco, cumin seed, rosemary and black tea. Everything sings in harmony on the long finish. Drink now through 2027.