Tasting Note This is the most fulsome and richly fruited of the single block pinots. The nose is quite generous and immediate, with ripe almost jammy red plum, cherry, sage/evergreen, flinty ‘hot stone’ reduction hot stone and fine barrel spice. It is medium-full bodied in the pinot-sphere, a bit rounded and warming. Alcohol is stated at 13.5% but feels higher. There is a certain plushness on the palate, with some stemmy tannin as well. The length is excellent. I would age this a bit then enjoy 2028 to 2033. Tasted March 2026
Backgrounder Wild Terrain’s Block 9 has the most extreme and varied topography with steep slopes exposed to the wind, to sun-drenched, flatter plains over loamy sand. And again, south-west exposure packs in power and complexity. The winemaking is the same for all four pinots allowing site to express the differences. The winemaking is the same for all four pinots, allowing site to express the differences. The fruit was hand-harvested, and it was fermented with wild yeast. During the 14-to-18-day maceration period, light pump-overs were practiced to lighten colour and tannin extraction. After fermentation, the free-run wine was drained to tank, and the remaining pomace was gently pressed. It was aged in third fill 228-litre French oak barrels, undergoing malolactic fermentation in the spring of 2024, then was gently barrel-to-barrel racked to allow full ageing on the lees. It was bottled unfiltered in mid 2025.
