Northern Italy may not be the first place you think of when it comes to great Pinot Noir, but that high-maintenance grape variety likes it up there in the foothills of the Dolomites, where just over 100 years ago the land was ceded from the Austrians to the Italians. This is a wonderfully silky and polished example, pale in colour, but deep in shiny plum and cherry fruit with grace notes of hibiscus and blackcurrant leaf. It positively gleams with health and is a joy to drink now, with a similar depth of fruit to a Central Otago Pinot Noir, but it feels cooler in its acidity and as if its best days lie 2 or 3 years hence. 14% alc. Drink now-2034.