Payne's Rise 2024 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 'Mr Jed'

"Shrugging of a slight haze of the reduction, the 2024 Pinot Noir 'Mr. Jed' from Payne's Rise bursts from the glance with charming Santenay-esque exuberance. Crushed raspberries, strawberry whites, fresh oregano, pine needles, and orange peel mingle with complexifying notions of cocoa powder, rose petals, and crushed rock. Quite inviting. The palate is silken on on entry, carrying through with now hollows and indeed developing ample depth with time, finishing sapid and charmingly herbal with repeating spice-inflected fruit tones on the sapid and mouth-watering close. Sliced ripe strawberries, wild and commercial, raspberry coulis, and a dash of very welcome white pepper on the close. Very charming." — David