Tasting Note Quarry Road does it again — and easily offers the best value in the Tawse pinot lineup. Such an elegant, even and fragrant pinot. Nicely open and fragrant right out of the gate with quite ripe red/black cherry fruit, brambleberry, red rose florality, classic pinot forest floor and barrel spice mindful of cardamon and cedar wood. It is medium bodied with 12.5% ABV, quite vibrant and firm with well-balanced acidity and tannin. Very mineral with classic limestone on the finish. If wanting to drink one 2023 now, with aeration, this would be it. But I would still age it a couple of years. The 2017 shows the same riper cherry, with cedar, and a touch of leather entering the mix.

Backgrounder The Quarry Road vineyard is Tawse’s second estate vineyard, acquired in 2005, and includes 20 acres of pinot noir, with its oldest planting in 2007. This vineyard sits on limestone clay loam.