The wine opens with an attractive nose of cherry and raspberry sherbet. This is followed by aromatic pops of Madagascan pink peppercorn and fennel. Beneath the fresh, bright façade, more brooding currant elements provide added depth. On the palate, delicate seams of fresh red cherry and strawberry fruit are sewn over fine grippy tannins. As the fruit fades, the aromatic pink peppercorn spice, and deeper touches of fennel emerge once again.

The 2023 vintage was a splendidly smooth ride for Elgin vignerons. Winter was delightfully cold, ensuring deep dormancy for the vines. As winter retreated, spring arrived, bringing with it even budding on the vines. Rainfall was slightly lower than the previous year, but even this was useful, as it lowered vigour in the vines. Lower vigour, in turn, reduced disease pressure, and made canopy management far simpler. Even the December rains had no negative impact on the quality of fruit, as the cool season allowed another two months of hangtime after the rain.

ANALYSIS: ALC 13.5% | RS 1.2 g/l | TA 5.2 g/l | pH 3.48