Pooley Pinot Noir Butcher's Hill Oronsay 2023

Oronsay is the top tier of the Pooley Heritage Range, and the Butcher's Hill version is the only Heritage wine made from that vineyard. John Pooley added Butcher's Hill to the family estate in 2003, on a steep, north-facing slope of dolerite and black cracking clay, and Anna Pooley, the third-generation winemaker, selects just a handful of barrels each year. The 2024 was four barrels, from the MV6 clone, picked on 15 March, with 70% whole bunch in the ferment and 12 months in French oak, about half of it new. The result is the most structured and savoury wine Pooley makes.

The style leans on whole-bunch spice and tension rather than fruit sweetness. Wild cherry, orange rind and tobacco lead, with game, dried herbs, aniseed and dark cherry beneath.