2018 Pinot Noir Kershaw Smuggler's Boot

British-born Richard Kershaw MW hit the ground running when he launched his namesake label in 2012, focused to an almost obsessive degree upon cool-climate, single-site clonal wines. His range of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah is complicated and can be confusing – we’re not all Masters of Wine! I had to be careful not to mix up the assorted labels specified by soil type and geographic coordinates. God knows how they are supposed to trip off your tongue when asking the sommelier for a bottle. However, once you overcome identifying exactly what you are drinking, then the tremendous quality makes it all worthwhile. I will leave readers to peruse the wines, but broadly speaking, they are consistent across the range yet sufficiently different to make their unique bottling worthwhile. Readers should note that you do not have to be a Master of Wine to enjoy one of Kershaw’s wines – but it might help.