Critic Scores:

98 – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

96 – Shanteh Wale, Halliday Wine Companion

95 – Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review

Planted on a dedicated, north-facing slope protected by Ruby Island, this singular parcel showcases the oldest, ungrafted vines of the spectacular biodynamic Rippon estate. Rooted deeply in coarse schist gravels, the 2023 vintage delivers a masterclass in site-specific purity and latent power. In the glass, it presents a brilliant deep ruby core rimmed with magenta.

The highly complex aromatics offer a multi-faceted bouquet of wild strawberry, pomegranate, and dark cherry seamlessly laced with charcuterie, crushed minerals, and flint.

On the medium-bodied palate, the wine showcases an exquisite sense of shape and compression, effortlessly corralling its bright fruit weight within a tight, linear skeleton of intense, cool-stone minerals.

Firm, toothsome tannins plunge straight through the fruit profile, providing exceptional structural tension and framing an extraordinarily long, drying finish.

Leading the critical evaluation for this majestic release, James Suckling awarded this exceptional vintage a commanding 98 points, highly praising its intense, earth-driven architecture and writing that the wine displays an "aromatic, showing lots of mineral and earth character with undertones of flint".