Cameron Douglas MS 97 Points - Outstanding "A perfumed, complex bouquet with aromas of roses and ripe cherry, a soft raw sugar and baking spices scent with a core of silty soil minerality. Equally complex with a firm yet finely textured mouthfeel, harmonious synergies between fruit, minerality, tannins and acidity. With each taste the complexity expands with flavours of cherry and plum, forest berries and wild flowers. A Grand Cru level wine with a delicious, layered, perfumed, youthful and long. Best drinking from late 2022 through 2030+." Cameron Douglas MS, October 2021.
95 Points - "From a dry-farmed vineyard in the Taylor Pass and one of the driest vintages on record. Dense, concentrated wine with floral, cherry, berry and dried herb flavours. A powerful, firmly-structured wine that is built for the long-haul." Bob Campbell MW, November 2021.
95 Points - "Saturated with dense, ripe fruit. A little note of reduction, some savoury oak spice and flavours of crushed rosemary and red plum give a compelling multi-layered character. A silken texture with a ripe, powdery tannic grip." Jane Skilton MW | Gourmet Traveller WINE, January 2022.
17.5 Points - "Colour is a little lighter and more smudgy than in the Settlement 2019. And there’s much more lifted red-fruit scent and prettiness. The slightly herbal stemmy note shows more than on the Settlement, though it is well moderated to match the fruit, even if there is a hint of capsicum, which some Pinot lovers may not want. Juicy, deliciously stemmy in its fragrance and freshness on the palate, the zippy, fragrant fruit and whole-bunch technique perfectly matched to bring harmony and refreshment. Vibrant, mouth-watering, long. Utterly different from the more powerful Settlement. More like top-notch Hautes-Côtes in build and style. Julia Harding MW | JancisRobinson.com 27/01/22.
Winemaker's Notes:
Escaroth is a site that truly reflects vintage variation: this year's release displays the perfume and delicacy of the vintage, whilst retaining its innate muscular tannin structure that ensures it will age even better than Keith Richards. The low-yielding, dry-farmed site gives intensity and enables the use of a high degree of whole-bunch fermentation, adding further complexity and structure. We feel the wine is ultimately befitting of the fire-breathing dragon that guards the vineyard. 404 cases produced.
