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2023 County Pinot Noir — Clonal Exploration Pack
Regular price $240.00
Unit price per
ALL FOUR PINOT NOIRS FROM 2023!
Contrast and compare three site- and clone-specific Pinot Noirs before they were blended into the vineyard ensemble. This is a rare and detailed exploration proving just how different these wines can be — some light and etherial, others more dense and structured.
Included in this pack:
2023 Pinot Noir Clone 667 Sud
2023 Pinot Noir Clone 667 Nord
2023 Pinot Noir Clone 115 Nord
2023 Pinot Noir
2023 Pinot Noir Clone 667 Nord
2023 Pinot Noir Clone 115 Nord
2023 Pinot Noir
Tasting and Production Notes:
667 Sud — 8 Cases Produced
92PTS — Sara D’Amato
“Known for its small, compact clusters, this clone often yields deeper colour and firmer tannins, while its early ripening makes it especially suited to cooler climates. Wild yeast fermented and bottled unfined and unfiltered, the winemaking is precise and transparent. Succulent red cherry fruit leads, framed by gentle tannins and a fine thread of acidity. Balanced and already drinking beautifully, it finishes with a graceful echo of cherry blossom and herbes de Provence, lingering with impressive length.”
Fermented whole cluster in an insulated bin. The grapes were blanketed with carbon dioxide and kept warm to increase influence from carbonic maceration. Footstomped after 5 days fermenting whole cluster and pressed after 8 days on skins. Put to bottle after 10 months aging in French oak, unfined and unfiltered.
This wine has an intense nose, dominated by smoke and leather. Unapproachable at first, then opening up with complex aromatics. On the palate there is great structure with a lightness of flavour with notes of licorice, raspberry and dark cherry. The stems and oak impact will soften over time into a silky palate. This wine needs lots of air initially and could benefit from 5+ years aging.
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667 Nord — 8 Cases Produced
93 PTS — Rick VanSickle
“This is a clonal specific Pinot Noir from estate fruit that spends 10 months in second fill French barrels and bottled unfiltered and unfined. The nose has enticing fresh red berries with added anise, violets, touch of spice and reduction with a subtle note of fresh turned soil. On the palate the ripe raspberries and cherries provide a richer profile with added cassis, polished tannins and a long, luxurious finish bolstered by mouth-watering acidity.
93 PTS — John Szabo, MS
“More classically ‘Pinot‘ in style I’d say compared to the “667 Sud”, the same clone of the variety from a different parcel, it also has a little more drive and density I find as well, with a distinctively smoky, rubbery (reductive) note and more evident wood impact. Fruit certainly tends to black, unusual for PEC, accented by damp earth and dried twigs; tannins are fine but grainy and dusty, supported by succulent acids. If I hadn’t seen the labels I'm quite sure I would not have guessed that all that separates the two wines is a minor geographic divergence, so stark are the differences between the two. In the end I give the edge to this bottling for its combination of greater structure and extract and Pinot character, but the real fun is to taste them side by side.”
Hand pick fruit from 8 rows of our North Block. Sorted in field. One-third was whole cluster fruit was layered onto the bottom of the bin while two-thirds of the fruit was hand destemmed over top the whole cluster. Fermented naturally with punchdowns for 2 weeks prior to pressing. Put to barrel to age for 10 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The 667 clone is characterized by small berries, which result in a more intense color than many Pinot Noirs, and good tannin structure suitable for aging. This wine is a broad and structured wine. It has a smoky nose with flavours of dark cherries and cranberries on the palate. Taking its time to open up, this wine will continue to develop for many years.
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115 Nord — 8 Cases Produced
92PTS — David Lawrason
“This is a very pale, delicate Pinot with lifted, red currant/cherry, considerable spice, some hay/straw character and tartare meatiness. It is light bodied, quite elegant with excellent length and some minerality on the finish. After tasting two wines from the north side of the vineyard, both seemed to have more lift and elegance than the Sud counterparts.”
Hand pick fruit from 8 rows of our North Block. Sorted in field. One-third whole cluster fruit was layered onto the bottom of the bin with two-thirds of the fruit was hand destemmed over top the whole cluster. Fermented naturally with punchdowns for two weeks prior to pressing. Put to barrel to age for 10 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Bright aromatics of citronella interwoven with fresh cranberries. The palate shows rich cherries and toasted almond with fine, integrated tannins. Pure and delicate on the palate, showcasing a lightness of our North Block.
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2023 County Pinot Noir — 65 Cases Produced
94 PTS — Rick VanSickle
“The Estate Pinot Noir, has a fresh nose of raspberries, Morello cherries, cran-cherry notes, fresh cut flowers, a touch of reduction and spice. The red berries are a bit riper on the palate with added anise, pine nuts, spice and a long, silky finish that will reward with a bit of aging. Can cellar through 2030.
“The Estate Pinot Noir, has a fresh nose of raspberries, Morello cherries, cran-cherry notes, fresh cut flowers, a touch of reduction and spice. The red berries are a bit riper on the palate with added anise, pine nuts, spice and a long, silky finish that will reward with a bit of aging. Can cellar through 2030.
93 PTS — David Lawrason
“This brings together two clones which were each also bottled separately. It is the more complete of the wines, with more complexity and structure. Very pale cherry colour. The nose is very lifted with redcurrant, sour cherry, barrel toast, tomato jam and herbal notes. It is light bodied, a touch sour edged and warm, with excellent to outstanding length. Tasted February 2026
“This brings together two clones which were each also bottled separately. It is the more complete of the wines, with more complexity and structure. Very pale cherry colour. The nose is very lifted with redcurrant, sour cherry, barrel toast, tomato jam and herbal notes. It is light bodied, a touch sour edged and warm, with excellent to outstanding length. Tasted February 2026
92 PTS — John Szabo
“…A mix of reductive and oxidative character, savoury and fruity, nutty-scorched earth, a real terroir-lovers pinot not designed for wide nor immediate appeal, rather an intellectual effort to unwind and deconstruct into its component parts. This is indeed an edgy wine with acetic acids creeping in, but with air, more attractive floral and delicate red fruit flavours begin to take the fore. It’s the sort of Pinot that you’re obliged to serve in a proper, large-bowled pinot noir glass; I wouldn’t decant if only to be able to observe the transformation of the wine with air in the glass, quite a mesmerizing display of a living wine in motion. Tasted February 2026.
“…A mix of reductive and oxidative character, savoury and fruity, nutty-scorched earth, a real terroir-lovers pinot not designed for wide nor immediate appeal, rather an intellectual effort to unwind and deconstruct into its component parts. This is indeed an edgy wine with acetic acids creeping in, but with air, more attractive floral and delicate red fruit flavours begin to take the fore. It’s the sort of Pinot that you’re obliged to serve in a proper, large-bowled pinot noir glass; I wouldn’t decant if only to be able to observe the transformation of the wine with air in the glass, quite a mesmerizing display of a living wine in motion. Tasted February 2026.
Specific blocks of the vineyard were hand harvested and clones were fermented separately. North block clones 115 and 667, were a blend of whole cluster and meticulously hand destemmed fruit. South block clone 667, was fermented whole cluster. Aged in 25% 2nd fill French oak for 10 months, this wine was racked once during barrel aging and once pre-bottling. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The 2023 growing season was an EPIC season! Filled with plenty of challenges in the summer — lots of rain, high humidity and lots of heat. In September, the season flipped on its head and we were given the most beautiful ripening season. Grapes showed amazing concentration of flavour and great retention of acidity.
A finessed Pinot Noir that has layers of complexity. Aromatically, this wine is a blend of bright cranberry, citronella and smoke. The palate has a slight sweetness from the oak with tight tannins that, at the time of bottling, need time to settle. A relatively closed wine upon bottling, but with an intensity that will lend itself to aging.
VQA Prince Edward County VQA
Cases Produced: 65
Grower: Trail Estate Winery
Harvested: September 30 & October 3, 2023
Yields: Approx. 1.0 Tonnes/Acre
Brix: 21.2
RS: 3.2g/L
Alcohol: 12%