Pinot Noir, MacMuir, 2022
Only the second vintage but already tipped to be their best single block wine in the future. The vines are 12 years old and the vineyard was planted with climate change in mind. The “Abel” Pinot Noir clone is said to be the original suitcase clone of La Tache, named after the customs officer who confiscated it for his own means! Richly complex and spicy, the MacMuir 2022 is persistent and grippy, exuding darker plusher fruits with touches of iodine. Aged for 13 months in 30% new French oak.
critic reviews
The 2022 Pinot Noir MacMuir is a little reductive from the start, which initially mutes the pure fruit, but it shakes that off to reveal a tender, mid-weight wine with round shoulders. However, the conclusion has a sense of uptightness, as if the entry is the base of a triangle and the finish is the tip, narrowing in shape - which is both the acidity and tannic tension. There is a slight hint of warmth from the alcohol (14.5%) on the finish that clips the red cherry and tea-leaf scented length. This is only the second vintage of the MacMuir, and the younger vines seem to produce more sugar at this stage compared with the older vines that make the other Pinot Noir cuvées. This is still a work in progress.