Mr. Riggs Valerie Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2023

This is an "Elegant and finely flowing" 93pt Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir from Mr.(Ben) Riggs, who named it after his mum! Why? Let Ben explain: “So with (what became) Valerie, I wanted it to be rich and flavoursome, and so I wanted a name that covered ‘strong but elegant’. I literally put in a Google search for a French word for ‘strong but elegant’ and up popped ‘valerie’ – which is my mother's name. “That’s why the words on the label on the back could describe my mother. She’s very much from her era, she’s not loud but she's incredibly strong and tough. At 93 years old, she's still amazingly fit and healthy." John Lehmann in The Australian is a fan too: "There’s so much fruit going on here, vibrant cherry, cranberry and raspberry on the nose but also a sprinkle of fresh earth and sweet spice to set it off. The palate is similarly fruit-forward, the same line-up of juicy red berries underpinned by some dried-herb savouriness and balanced acidity that delivers impressive length. Elegant and so very drinkable".