In a long line of Tasmanian pinots, Pooley stands out in its class for its carry through the finish, sustaining fruit integrity without deteriorating into a callow close of acidity and tannin. Sourced predominantly from the Coal River Valley, it’s layered with black cherry and redcurrant fruit and hints of white pepper, carrying with considerable […]
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On a graceful slope with sweeping views of Marion Bay in Tasmania’s south-east, Cape Bernier’s pinot vines captures the notes of savoury herbs and spice that characterise this tranquil part of the world. A purity of red cherry and fresh strawberry fruit is accented with rose hip and finely textured tannins, finishing elegantly harmonious. Best […]
readIf you adore Freycinet Pinot Noir, as I do, there’s a good case for stocking up on both the real thing and the second label. Louis is alluring, immediate and gorgeous, purposely a more fruit-driven style and ready to drink right away. From a vineyard just 300m down the hill from the estate’s fabled amphitheatre […]
readTasmania is Robert Hill-Smith’s latest passion, and it’s difficult to say whether the enthusiasm of his talented team is the result of the rise and rise of Dalrymple, or the other way around. Either way, the entry pinot of the estate is one of the most elegantly alluring on the shelves under $25 right now […]
readAn impressive blend of two-thirds Coal River Valley and one-third Tinderbox (overlooking Bruny Island), this vintage spent 18 months in French oak (almost double the time of the vintages before it). The result is wonderfully exotic, laced with mixed spice, Christmas cake, orange liqueur and morello cherries. It pulls off such complexity without a hint […]
readSourced from Pooley’s oldest of two vineyards on the banks of the Coal River at Campania and confusingly named (Pooley’s estate pinot noir is also largely from its vineyards in the Coal River Valley), though the back label makes it clear that this is single vineyard Campania. Pedantics aside, Pooley has joined the A-league of […]
readFreycinet is one of Tasmania’s finest pinot noir sites and 2012 was one of its great seasons. For Claudio Radenti, the aspiration is not “fancy Burgundy techniques” but expression of fruit flavour, site and season. His recipe is elegantly simple, no wild yeast, just 5% whole bunches for stalk tannin and one-third new French oak […]
readSourced for the last time from one of Tasmania’s finest vineyards in the Coal River Valley, infusing it with such depth, brightness, structure and beautifully mouth-filling texture that I was convinced it must have had whole bunches in the ferment – yet this is all fruit texture. Such is its energy that it effortlessly envelops […]
readTolpuddle has for decades been one of Tasmania’s finest vineyards in the Coal River Valley, yet its fruits have never been bottled under its name until it was acquired by Shaw + Smith. This is it, for the first time, and I cannot recall an inaugural pinot noir release of such distinction from anywhere, ever. […]
readThe fourth release of Eileen Hardy Pinot Noir is a tangy and firm style, built on solid tannins and tart acidity that call for considerable time to draw together. It has the integrity and structure to go the distance, layered with all the complexity of whole bunch fermentation with wild yeast, infusing it with exotic […]
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