2019 Emma Pinot Noir

Full bottle 1,305 g. A collaboration between J C Martin and his (at the time) 16-year-old daughter Emma. A small pocket within a single 16-year-old vineyard and barrel-selected. Hand-harvested, 30% whole-bunch spontaneous fermentation in a large foudre. Maturation takes place in 40% new, 60% second-fill French oak barrels for 12 months. Only 1,850 bottles produced. Mid ruby. More savoury than sweet-fruited on first impression, and relatively closed with some mature, mulch-like notes of bottle age. Some oak sweetness still there in the aroma. On the palate, firmly textured, relatively tannic for four-year-old Pinot with a bit of alcoholic heat on the finish. A wine that would benefit from being drunk cool and still has the potential for further ageing. Most of the primary fruit has evolved but there's no lack of fruit concentration to balance the structure. It's balanced but I'd like a little more freshness, which is also why I would drink it slightly cool. Long, savoury finish. (JH)