2014 Bishop Creek Pinot Noir

The 2014 Bishop Creek Pinot Noir comes from their own estate vines on shallow basalt soils and was harvested on 19 September, and matured for 15 months in 50% new French oak. It has a very refined bouquet, well defined, quite pure with attractive dark cherry, clove and a touch of sous-bois, a subtle marine scent emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, quite tensile in the mouth, cold stone and a pinch of dark chocolate towards the presently introverted finish. It will need a couple of years in bottle, but it should turn into a very fine Oregon Pinot Noir, even if it has strong competition at this price point.