Tasmanian Organic Wines 2016 Bye's Lifffey Valley Pinot Noir

Ian and Caryl Cairns, among only a handful of organic wine producers in Tasmania, make tiny quantities of pinot noir each year from their remote vineyard at 300 metres in the eastern foothills of the Great Western Tiers, a collection of mountain bluffs that form the northern edge of the Central Highlands plateau. With warm sunny days and very cool nights, the vineyard has the diurnal variation that sees pinot noir thrive. The property has been farmed using organic and biodynamic methods since 1991 and the wines are made with minimal sulphur dioxide. The Cairns family has no website, however, and does minimal promotion, so the wines are little known despite a history of excellence. Inky and intense, this has dark fruit notes with wild mushroom and deli nuances and finishes long, fresh and clean. $35. tasorganicwine@bigpond.com 

Mania 2016 Chardonnay

Winemaker Jim Chatto may well be the busiest man in the Australian wine industry. In addition to overseeing the McWilliam's Mount Pleasant operation and associated brands, he's also the chief winemaker for Kreglinger, across the Pipers Brook and Norfolk Rise brands, as well as making pinot noir in southern Tasmania under the Chatto and Isle labels. This is a side project with Fourth Waves Wines; an excellent Tasmanian chardonnay made using fruit from the Iron Pot Bay vineyard in the Tamar Valley in the north of the state. It's very good, too, with whole-bunch, wild fermentation and 100% barrel ferment upping the funk ante. Matured for 12 months in mainly older oak puncheons, this also underwent post-ferment battonage. Think elegance, minerality, citrus and stone fruits with plenty of zippy acid. Luvverly. $35. www.fourthwavewine.com.au.  

Bream Creek 2016 Riesling

There is a sure-fire way to ascertain whether a wine is a winner. That is when you suddenly see a bottle with much lower levels than any of the wines you are tasting alongside it. This wine has that quality - and was recently named top Tasmanian riesling at the International Riesling Challenge in Canberra. It's a little masterpiece from vigneron Fred Peacock and his team on the Tasman Peninsula, crisp and dry with bright lemon, lime and Granny Smith apple notes along with terrific length and acidity. The vines producing fruit for this wine are up 40 years old - and are reflected in the intensity of the fruit. Riesling is well suited to the Tasmanian climate, and is a good match with the seafood, shellfish and Asian-accented dishes. 
$27. www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au 

Bay of Fires 2016 Chardonnay

With Penny Jones and Ricky Evans having seaminglessly continued the winemaking excellence of the now departed Peter Dredge, the new-release 2016 Bay of Fires is once again among Tasmania's finest chardonnays; cool-climate and beguiling in style. This is a blend of fruit from three different regions of Tasmania; the Coal River Valley, the Derwent Valley and the East Coast and offers classic notes of stone fruit and bright citrus. It has undergone natural ferment and been matured in French oak but the bright fruit is the star on a long, intense palate, with quality oak playing Robin to the fruit's Batman. Beautifully balanced, dry with a crisp acid backbone, and absolutely delicious. $45. www.bayoffireswines.com.au.