Gusbourne Pinot Noir 2011

21 Dec 2013 18:08 by Jancis Robinson

I must credit wine storage specialist Jeremy Pearson of LCB for suggesting I taste this wine after we had been discussing English red wine via email. The produce of one of my favourite English sparkling wine producers and an unusually warm vintage. Clones 828, 777 and 20/13, all de-stemmed (sounds sensible in the English climate). Fermented at 22 deg C for 14 days the aged for seven months in French oak of which 20% was new. TA 6.4g/l. Smart screw-capped bottle.

Unusually (for England) depth of crimson. There is a light hint of Pinot Noir on the nose and the palate is certainly well balanced. No excess of sweetness, nor (just) acidity, nor oak, nor tannins. It’s clean and very respectable though I don’t think I would take the risk of ageing it for that much longer. It’s probably the best English red I have tasted.

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