2023 Best's Young Vine Pinot Meunier, Great Western

We know what Best’s Old Vine Pinot Meunier can do. Give it 10, 20, 30 years and it will be a stunner. In the meantime, there is Best’s Young Vine Pinot Meunier to sate the appetite. There’s an intrinsic pepperiness to the 2023 vintage which is quite delightful, a real focus point for this drinker who loves a bit of pepperiness (but not too much) and the extra flavour appeal it can bring. Black pepper mingles with cherry, plum, cranberry, crushed leaf, dried herbs and spices as the wine works its way along a long line of fine tannin. This plummy, red-fruited youngster has plenty of time up its sleeve, maybe not in the same realm as its Old Vine sibling, but it has immediate drinking enjoyment covered for now and over the next 8-10 years.

95 points Jeni Port winepilot.com

Generally used in sparkling wine production, Pinot Meunier is rarely made as a straight table red wine. However, at Best’s we have been producing small quantities of single varietal red wines from Pinot Meunier since the 1960s, with the vineyards and wines gaining cult like status (and loyal followers) along the way.

Although eminently drinkable now, previous examples of this wine prove that it will age gracefully for many years to come.  Try this, if you can, in 5-10 years time.