Hughes & Hughes 2020 Pinot Gris

 

Brothers Jonny and Matt Hughes love to push the envelope when making wine, both with their Mewstone range of estate wines and the Hughes & Hughes range using grower fruit. They make "small batch wines that challenge the status quo". This is as different to most regular pinot gris as The Spice Girls are to Little Richard. Both are music but....This is at the Richard Penniman end of the scale; a blend of fruit from north-west Tasmania, the Derwent and Tamar valleys that is pinker in colour than most rosés. Natural ferments and lees aging with no fining have produced a funky, earthy, spicy wine that is thoroughly modern with a nod to wild 50s rock 'n' roll. $30. https://mewstonewines.com.au/

Apogee 2016 Deluxe Vintage Brut

Serious bubbles here; worthy of a special celebration. Andrew Pirie, the man behind the Apogee label, is a Tasmanian wine pioneer who created brands including Tamar Ridge, Pipers Brook and Pirie. He now concentrates all his attention on his tiny vineyard at Lebrina in the north of the Apple Isle. This is a classic pinot noir/chardonnay/pinot meunier blend that has spent 45 months on lees. Complex and living up to Pirie's belief that northern Tasmania can produce sparkling wines that "stand tall alongside traditional Champagne cuvees". $65. www.apogeetasmania.com.au 

Bay of Fires 2019 Chardonnay

 

The 2018 vintage of this benchmark Tasmanian chardonnay has been sold out for a while; and the 2019 is much-awaited. The news is all good, the '19 is another cracker from Penny Jones and her team; an extremely classy cool-climate chardonnay that has classic stone fruit and citrus characters and excellent length and balance. The fruit has been sourced from the East Coast and Tamar Valley. All class. $55. 

House of Arras NV Blanc de Blancs

The first new release in the House of Arras range for six years is an impressively vibrant chardonnay-dominant bubbly with plenty of crowd appeal. Fruit has been sourced from Pipers River, the Derwent Valley, Coal River Valley, East Coast and Tamar Valley and this is steely and focused with grapefruit and lemon notes; nicely balanced after 30 months on lees. Very stylish and terrific value. $35. www.houseofarras.com.au.