I wouldn't drink this right now, if I were you. I'd tuck it away somewhere consistently cool and take a look in three or four years. Very few Tasmanian wines are designed for serious cellaring, Domaine A, maybe, and some Freycinet Estate reds, but this one has definite potential. It comes from a stable known for excellence, and at three years old is still taut and tight-wound. It's drinking fine now, but so much more lies ahead. It is complex and powerful with plenty of length and classic pinosity. It is picking up regular show trophies. $68. www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au.
There is a lot more to Tasmania than pinot noir, chardonnay and sparkling wines. Many aromatic whites do well on the Apple Isle, as evidenced by this impressive gewurztraminer from the northern Pipers River region. Intensely aromatic and spicy with rose petal and lychee notes along with citrus and Turkish Delight flavours on the palate, this is made as a dry wine and would pair impressively with spicy Asian dishes. $35.
www.kreglingerwineestates.com/pipers-brook
The Patricia range pays tribute to Brown Brothers matriarch Patricia Brown and represents the best of the family's wine releases. These use to be purely Victorian wines, but Brown Brothers has been a major investor n Tasmania, owning both Tamar Ridge and Devil's Corner, and this tribute wine is a blend of 50% fruit from Kayena in the Tamar Valley and 50% from the Hazards on the East Coast. There is plenty of cool-climate acidity but also some impressive creamy texture among the layers of stone fruit flavours and relaxed French oak characters. A seriously stylish chardonnay - just like the lady after whom it was named. $45. www.brownbrothers.com.au.
