Marjan Simcic Cru Selection Pinot Noir 2021 (750ml) *

Pinot Noir is a grape that rewards restraint, and this bottling from Marjan Simcic in Slovenia's Goriška Brda shows what the variety can do at the top of a producer's range. The Cru Selection designation points to the more serious end of the cellar, and the 2021 vintage gives a red that leans toward purity and precision rather than weight.

The nose is gently spiced, crushed strawberry lifted by clove and a whiff of balsamic herbs. On the palate it is clean and finely drawn, with bright acidity and a crisp, mineral streak framing ripe wild-berry fruit. There is a quiet tension here, a saline edge that keeps things lively, and the finish runs long on light tannin with a tart blackberry snap at the end.