There is something very special about the Home Hill vineyard at Ranelagh in the Huon Valley, the southernmost region of Tasmania. As if sprinkled with gold dust, year after year Home Hill has managed to produce pinot noirs of exquisite expression. This is a classic cool-climate wine, full of personality and length and boasting beautiful balance despite its intensity. Lashings of dark cherry fruit flavours combine with quality oak and deli nuances for a wine of poise that offers immediate drinking pleasure but will cellar well. A warning: be quick as after several stunning vintages the 2019 vintage was affected by smoke taint. Sleek and chic with layers of flavours, this is excellent buying for $50. www.homehillwines.com.au.
This is the seventh release from Shaw + Smith's outstanding vineyard in the Coal River Valley, which Martin Shaw considers one of the finest grape-growing sites in Australia. This, to my mind, is the most complete Tolpuddle chardonnay to date; a reflection both of the great growing season but also the ongoing work in the vineyard. It is a very clean and precise chardonnay with bright natural acidity, with lemon zest and sherbet fruit flavours to the fore and nine in months in French oak adding texture without instruding. An instant classic. $75. www.tolpuddlevineyard.com
Moorilla's Canadian winemaker Conor van der Reest is crafting some outstanding wines right now and this pinot is proof that you don't need to spend extravagant sums of money to taste some of the best of the Apple Isle. This is pinot that tastes like pinot (rather than soft dry red) with impressive lighter, velvelty structure while retaining quality fruit flavours. It weighs in at a (relatively) modest 13.7% alcohol and comprises fruit from the St Matthias vineyard in the north of the state. The label is the usual graffiti mishmash, the wine itself far more artistic. $32. www.moorilla.com.au
Gruner-Veltliner, the delightful aromatic white grape variety from Austria, is extremely rare in Tasmania. That's a pity because, as this example foreshadows, gruner should thrive in cool Tasmanian climes. Rugged non-conformists Vaughn Dell and Linda Morice close plan their GV, hand-pick and de-stem with a few hours of skin contact prior to pressing. The wine is naturally fermented in large, old French oak barrels where it remained on yeast lees for 11 months, adding texture but minimal oak elements. The wine was bottled, unfined, in March 2019 and has classic combinations of white stone fruit and citrus notes, hints of minerality and spice and a fresh, brisk finish. This would be fabulous with Vietnamese dishes. $38. https://sinapius.com.au
Marion's Vineyard, overlooking the Tamar River at Deviot in northern Tasmania, is planted with some rather unusual grape varieties, several of which are blended here to produce a very refreshing and food-friendly wine that we paired with a selection of tapas plates. The grapes involved are Muller-Thurgau, muscat and gewurztraminer and the end result is a floral, quite dry field blend with some honeyed fruit character and hints of musk and Turkish delight. The flavours are intense (the vineyard dates back to 1979) and this is well worth seeking out for lovers of the unusual. $25. www.marionsvineyard.com.au.
An exceptional new-release reserve pinot noir from Fred Peacock and his team at Bream Creek, which overlooks Maria Island on the East Coast of Tasmania. The fruit used for this wine is from some of the oldest vines in the state and this intense pinot has picked up a swag of trophies and gold medals both domestically and overseas. It is a perfumed with with delightful balance, supple and graceful - like a ballerina. Serious fruit; excellent structure; layers of flavours. $65. www.breamcreekvineyard.com.
It is a fact that will not have escaped wine lovers that pinots from Tasmania are rarely in the bargain basement price bracket. A lot of wineries charge $50 and upwards for their entry level wines; and find the market happy to pay that price. That makes it a rare pleasure to discover a very good producer on the East Coast of the island state making a fresh, lively pinot for $30. This is very much in the "drink now" category with its bright, juicy fruit and immediate appeal. Think plummy fruit, earthy notes and a lighter body that can be chilled to pair with food. Already sold out at cellar door, but shop around. $30. www.galaestate.com.au.
