2023 Elio Ottin Pinot Noir Vallee d`Aoste

Tasting this with Pinots from Burgundy and South Africa, it`s striking how very different it is to both, in the structure of the tannins, the fruit, and in other subtle ways. The fruit is ripe and red but with an alto pitch that sings of wild strawberries and kumquats. The tannins arc over the fruit in graceful girders, creating spaces with precisely placed structure. There is minerality that I can only describe as the taste of a deep coastal cave; salt and lichen and darkness and wet rocks. It seems to ring on the finish, like liquid phonolite, as if it holds a clinkstone in its heart. And then the finish is deep-red floral. Crushed petals. It is really, really gorgeous. 17.5 points