I'll come right out and say it: this just might possibly be Norm Hardie's best County Pinot to date. Hot on the heels of the very good 2009 comes this awesome 2010 ... the heat of the vintage helped give this usually feminine wine a little edge: more dyke than Southern Belle this time round. To give you an idea of how good this vintage was, the grapes were picked mid-September, some 2-3 weeks earlier than normal; then the wine was aged 10 months in 40% new oak, yet yielded an alcohol of only 12.2% - allowing for some delicacy in the glass. The nose is loaded with ripe cherry, strawberry and a touch of herbs. The palate is lovely, bright and sexy with its full-on cherry, hint of spiced cranberry, violets and white pepper - the finish carries the whole package with quite a bit of length. Price: $35.00 - Rating: **** 1/2