A beautifully pure, flint-struck Coal River Valley pinot noir from Sam Connew this year, perhaps showing a little more concentration than the previous release but losing none of the grace, detail and inherent drinkability that we love. Red fruits, wild strawberry and dark cherry fruits, five-spice, dried citrus rind, rose petals, hoisin, turned undergrowth and pressed wildflowers. Elegant and harmonious on the palate, that gunpowdery reduction working its way through the pure fruit like tendrils, lending complexity and interest. A saline, mineral cadence pushes the wine forwards to its end point, showing great length of flavour throughout. -Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion