Pinot Noir in Focus

One Grape, Many Voices
Pinot Noir in Focus

Few grape varieties inspire quite the devotion of Pinot Noir. Delicate yet complex, capable of both ethereal perfume and profound depth, it remains one of the wine world's most fascinating interpreters of place. Yet Pinot Noir's appeal extends beyond terroir alone. Depending on where it is grown and how it is handled, the variety can take on remarkably different forms while retaining the elegance and transparency that make it so distinctive.

 

This collection brings together eight compelling expressions from some of the world's most exciting Pinot Noir regions. From the slopes of Alsace and the limestone vineyards of Burgundy to the cool landscapes of Victoria, New Zealand and the Jura, and finally the chalky hillsides of Champagne, each wine offers a unique perspective on Pinot Noir and the place from which it comes.


Taken together, these wines offer a fascinating exploration of one of the world's most expressive varieties; eight distinctive interpretations united by a grape that continues to captivate growers, collectors and wine lovers alike.

The Wines

Weinbach Alsace Clos des Capucins Pinot Noir 2023
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Weinbach Alsace Clos des Capucins Pinot Noir 2023

Biodynamic. The standard of Weinbach’s Pinot has gone through the roof. There are now five single-vineyard Pinots in the range. The Clos des Capucins bottling leans towards early-ish drinking, with quality pitched towards the village-level wines of Burgundy. Stylistically, it can equally resemble the high-grown Pinots from the Jura—or even the best German Pinots—as much as those of the Côte d’Or. The fruit fermented spontaneously with 20% bunches and spent about 20 days on skins. It was raised in mature Burgundy barrels for 14 months before being bottled unfiltered.
Weinbach Alsace Clos des Capucins Pinot Noir 2023
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Domaine des Croix Beaune Rouge 2023
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Domaine des Croix Beaune Rouge 2023

The exact sourcing of this wine depends on the vintage, although two village parcels always form the core of the cuvée. Right up near the 1er crus, Pointes de Tuvilain shares the marl and clay profile of the nearby 1ers, while the vines in Blanchisserie lie below Bas du Teurons on shallow, sandier soils. This vintage, the mix includes a little 1er Cru Teurons. Planted between 1957 and 2010, all parcels have been organically farmed since 2008, and 100% of the vines for this cuvée were not trimmed (tressage). This was principally raised in large oak foudre, but Croix racked it into concrete early in the piece this year. Raised without added sulphur, Croix incorporated approximately 30% bunches, and the wine was bottled unfiltered. Ripe, textural and long, this seriously over-delivers for its level.


Domaine des Croix Beaune Rouge 2023
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Benjamin Leroux Volnay 2023
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Benjamin Leroux Volnay 2023

Leroux is a master of Volnay and has produced outstanding examples for over two decades. A similar cuvee to last year, the 2023 is a blend of Les Grands Poisots and Les Petits Poisots, the two lieux-dits that border Pommard. Then, there is a healthy selection from Leroux’s 1er Cru vineyards. Leaning towards Pommard in style, the deep clay soils and old vines here give density and ripe tannins, which Leroux complements with judicious use of whole bunches and maturation in large oak. It’s a deep yet wonderfully complex Pinot, and already drinking well. Outstanding for the level.

Benjamin Leroux Volnay 2023
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Cellier Saint Benoit Arbois Pupillin Courbes Raies Pinot Noir 2023
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Cellier Saint Benoit Arbois Pupillin Courbes Raies Pinot Noir 2023

Benjamin Benoit farms just half a hectare of Pinot Noir but given that he trained with the likes of Charles Lachaux in Burgundy, we shouldn’t rule out that he will plant more. Regardless, this wine proves how successful Jura Pinot Noir can be when planted in the right soils and farmed accordingly. It’s from vines in the curving Courbes Raies vineyard on calcaire à gryphées—limestone-rich soil heavy in fossils. Benoit also farms Chardonnay on this site’s north- and south-facing slopes. The Pinot lies on the west-exposed slopes. The vines were planted by Benjamin’s father (mid-1980s) and grandfather (around 1959). Like the Trousseau wines, the Pinot ferments as whole bunches in large Grenier tronconique, while the aging takes place in 228-litre Burgundy barrels and larger, 600-litre demi-muid. Benjamin explains that this wine often confounds local tasters perhaps less familiar with a classy, polished Burgundian style of Pinot Noir. 
Cellier Saint Benoit Arbois Pupillin Courbes Raies Pinot Noir 2023
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Place of Changing Winds Between Two Mountains Pinot Noir 2023
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Place of Changing Winds Between Two Mountains Pinot Noir 2023

Place of Changing Winds has produced only one Pinot Noir from 2023. As Rob explains it, the cool, late season meant the style and personality of the Beyond the Forest and High Density parcels fell a whisker short of receiving their own label, so he and Rémi simply created the best blend from the best ferments produced across the three-hectare POCW vineyard (and declassified whatever didn’t make the cut). This strict selection results in a wonderfully perfumed, complex, finely structured Pinot—one of the most seductive this vineyard has produced. There is a core of sweet fruit that belies the cool, late season and speaks more to the low yields, but there is also plenty of Asian spice on the nose and palate, crystalline red fruit, high-toned florals (violet and rose) and a driven finish with plenty of fine structure for aging.

It is a gorgeous drink now if you give it plenty of air in a decanter, but it will certainly cellar well. Bottled in January 2025, whole bunches made up almost a third of the blend (bringing a lot of perfume and spice), and the wine spent 21 months maturing in a range of Stockinger casks (228, 500, 600 and 1,000 litres) and some Wineglobe glass fermenters, with only around 5% new oak.

Place of Changing Winds Between Two Mountains Pinot Noir 2023
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Garagiste Merricks Pinot Noir 2024
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Garagiste Merricks Pinot Noir 2024

The Pinot vines at Merricks are 28 years old and sit on grey loams and red ferrosols, but with a north-facing aspect. Yields were slightly higher than in 2023, and the fruit’s integrity meant it retained balance with Barney’s preferred inclusion of 33% bunches. The winemaking is, as always, pretty hands-off: natural fermentation as bunches and whole berries, with gentle extraction and 10 months in 20% new oak.

Barney’s touch with whole bunches is notable and, as usual, it’s seamlessly integrated, providing savoury balance to the trademark power and intensity of the Merricks fruit. It’s very deep and layered, full of berries, spice, flowers and licks of minerality. This is serious (and seriously brilliant) Pinot, combining grippy structure with fresh lift, gliding weight and lingering length. This will get even better with air and—why not?—roast duck.

Garagiste Merricks Pinot Noir 2024
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Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2023
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Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2023

Biodynamic. Like the Chardonnay vineyards, Pyramid Valley’s Waikari Pinot Noir sites were planted in 2000 at 11,111 vines per hectare on slopes with clay/limestone soils. Earth Smoke is an expansive slope that faces east and is situated southwest of Lion’s Tooth and north of its sibling Pinot Noir site, Angel Flower. The soils are richer than Angel Flower, described by Steve Smith as “strong and beautifully structured” with a high proportion of clay (30%) over the limestone bedrock. The name comes from the nickname given to fumitory, a plant from the poppy family that thrives in this 0.85-hectare plot. Although both wines share DNA, the later-picked Earth Smoke is typically the more structured and darker of the two, with more fruit weight and savoury undertones to accompany its tender, fine tannins.
Pyramid Valley Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2023
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Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Les Orizeaux 2020 (Disg. Apr 2025)
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Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Les Orizeaux 2020 (Disg. Apr 2025)

Pinot Noir. Along with Les Barres, Orizeaux is perhaps Chartogne’s best-known vineyard. It has a north/south orientation. This parcel is much more calcareous than Les Barres (although its topsoils are still sandy), and the roots plunge deep—over four metres into the soil. Planted in 1970, the parcel has always been highly prized by Alexandre Chartogne and his father before him, as the wine reflects both the sandy soil's generosity and the limestone bedrock's mineral quality. Dosage: 2.5 g/L.  

Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Les Orizeaux 2020 (Disg. Apr 2025)
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