Cloudsley End of the Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021

This Pinot Noir is sourced from Tom and Loring Wiley’s End of the Road Vineyard, planted in 2007, on the Twenty Mile Bench. It’s aged in French oak barriques, 23% new oak, for 18 months. This usually shows more of a New World personality but in 2021 it’s less robust and more elegant than the 2020 version. The nose shows pure dark cherries, fresh wild raspberries, floral notes and just hinting at oak spices. It’s juicy and smooth on the palate with all those ripe red berries showing up to go with integrated earthy/savoury notes, some meaty notes and a lifted, fresh finish. Can cellar through 2030. Score – 92. (Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com, Dec. 17, 2024)