2025 'Perceval' Pinot Noir

SNAPSHOT

• Style: Savoury, cool-continental Pinot with chalky tannins, bright acidity and a mineral line
• Technique: Destemmed fruit with partial whole berries, wild yeast, extended skin contact
• Vegan: Yes (PVPP)
• Bottled: May 2026
• Released: June 2026
• Cases: 1,111

HERITAGE

Perceval nods to Chrétien de Troyes’ 12th-century romance (Le Conte du Graal): the young knight who frees Blanchefleur at Château Beaurepaire. A fitting banner for the eternal Pinot quest.

TERROIR

Ultra-cool inland valley above Rylstone (~650 m ASL) on an Ordovician (~450 Myr) limestone reef with very shallow sandy-loams. Low soil heat retention and valley cold pooling deliver effective night temps akin to ~1,200–1,300 m, preserving acidity and perfume. Continental rhythm: budburst late Sept/Oct; veraison Jan/Feb; harvest Mar/Apr. Estate planted 1998.

VINTAGE & VINEYARD

Season 2025: A slow balanced cool-climate vintage, ideally suited to Pinot Noir. Steady, mild ripening aligned flavour, tannin and acidity without excessive alcohol. After the difficulties of 2024, the season was a welcome reminder of what this limestone estate can produce in a composed year: perfume, savoury spice, chalky structure and length. Blocks / Clones: A Block 777 (21%), 114 (58%), 115 (21%) from 27-year-old vines. These Burgundy clones bring red cherry, wild raspberry, spice and fine tannin. In 2025, Perceval moves from the fruit-driven profile of 2023 into a more savoury, mineral and finely structured style. Harvest: 25 and 26 February, evenings. Yield: ~4 t/ha (~24 hL/ha).

WINEMAKING

20% open-vat and 80% stainless ferments using destemmed fruit with a partial whole-berry component after ~2 days cold soak; wild native yeast. Extended time on skins (~2 months) for savoury depth, phenolic shape and gentle tannin length. Not fined. Not filtered. Vegan friendly. Élevage: 11 months total in old French oak hogsheads, SO₂ managed for freshness.

Analysis at bottling: pH 3.55 · TA 6.2 g/L. · RS 0.8 g/L

TASTING

Bouquet: savoury red cherry and wild raspberry with pepper, dried herbs, rosehip and forest floor. Palate: medium-bodied, precise and deliciously savoury—red plum and cherry fruit, bright acidity, earthy mineral line, chalk-dust tannins; long, composed finish with lingering cherry, spice and wet stone.

FOOD & SERVICE

Built for the table and younger drinking but it shines with fish and fat. Hero Match salmon steak with a pistachio–wasabi butter crust (the wine’s bright acid and fine, low tannin drink up the fish proteins and butter) and other fatty fish (sardine, mackerel, trout), roast chicken, pork with herbs, lamb shoulder, and bistro veg (grilled radicchio, mushrooms).
Serve: 14–16 °C (57–61 °F) in large Pinot stems; no need to decant.

WHY THIS BUILD (VS “RICHARD”)?

Fine-dining pouring programs need clarity, savoury detail and readiness—not a heavy oak or extraction statement. Perceval uses destemmed fruit with partial whole berries, wild yeast, extended skin contact and 12 months in hogshead to build perfume, texture and chalky tannin while staying bright and drinkable. Our reserve Pinot, ‘Richard’ follows the longer, more cellar-inclined arc, with deeper savoury layering and greater age-track. Same terroir, two trajectories—one precise, savoury and table-ready; one deeper and cellar-inclined.

WINE TIPS

• Cellaring: 10–15 years for forest-floor and spice to build while fruit stays centre-stage