Stoneleigh

Look for a brooding purple hue on the dark side of normal pinot tones. Upon opening, a bit of reduction and bottle stink eventually dissipates in the glass. The palate is silky smooth, with smoky, savoury black cherry and raspberry and a hint of chocolate. This is not a light pinot but a darker version built for full flavoured menu items like smoked salmon pasta, mushroom risotto, or grilled root vegetables. I like the price for this certified organic pinot noir, machine harvested, crushed into small, open top fermenters and left at ambient temperature before a spontaneous wild fermentation kicks in. Post-ferment, the skin contact lasted 23 days. A portion of press wine is mixed with the free run juice and matured in French oak throughout its malolactic fermentation. Seven months later, it is transferred to seasoned French oak barriques for a further five months of wood aging.

The higher yields of 2004 seem to have lightened this wine compared to the same bottling in 2003, but it's still a charming wine, featuring lightweight cherry fruit coupled with briary nuances. Silky tannins grace the finish. Imported by Allied Domecq Wines USA.