The 2023 vintage from the Palisander vineyard emerged from a challenging, high-rainfall spring and a prolonged flowering period that ultimately yielded fruit of immense concentration and purity. In the glass, this eighth release displays a vibrant ruby-crimson hue, offering an aromatic profile that seamlessly marries high-toned red fruits like sour cherry and pomegranate with complex notes of dried rose petals, five-spice, and a signature hint of "flint-struck" reduction.

 

Dave Brookes of the Halliday Wine Companion, who awarded the wine 96 points, describes it as a "beautifully pure, flint-struck" expression that balances grace with newfound intensity.

The palate is architectural and tightly wound, where a core of wild strawberry and dark cherry is supported by fine, silty tannins and a persistent, saline mineral pulse. This harmony of tension and "gunpowdery" complexity provides a seductive finish that remains true to its Coal River Valley origins.