Elk Cove 18 Five Mountain Pinot Noir

Dense on the nose with huckleberry jam, cherry blossom, leather and vanilla, the palate is replete with blackberry and Italian plum with a savory, black tea finish.

This opens with tart raspberry and blackberry fruit, then seems to lighten up quickly, adding salmonberry and rhubarb. The tannins are astringent and peppery, with a hard shell. More than the other vineyard designates from Elk Cove, the Five Mountain needs decanting.