Earth Smoke Pinot Noir, Pyramid Valley Vineyards 2019

This is not as open on the nose as the Angel Flower, though one senses a little more focus to the fruit. In the mouth there is a punchier fruit character, with a pure and clean edge to it. The balance of the wine is such that any tannin is barely perceptible. These are wines with intense appeal and a great deal of personality.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Earth Smoke is a complex, intriguing wine that draws you into a labyrinth of aromas and flavors. The sensitive use of oak (older barrels of 1–4 years old) allows the layers of unadulterated fruit to shine through the herbals of rosemary, pine and the exotic cinnamon-like spices. While it's densely concentrated and has a satisfying sense of weight on the mid-palate, the wine’s naturally ebullient energy and acidity are ever present, providing a sense of transparency and freshness; this may have something to do with the high active lime content in the soil. Indeed, there's a distinctly chalky character and a tension on the finish that goes on and on. This is a wine I'd happily drown in.