Apogee is the boutique label of Tasmanian pioneer Dr Andrew Pirie, who has played such a a key role in the emergence of the island state as a high-quality wine producer. Pirie produces tiny amounts of sparkling wine, pinot gris and pinot noir from his estate at Lebrina to the north of Launceston. Pirie is a perfectionist and this beguilingly elegant pinot is aromatic and medium-bodied with intense red berry flavours, dark cherry and subtle oak notes. Immaculately balanced, as you'd expect, with a nod to the great wines of Burgundy. Pair with sauteed mushrooms or Chinese roast duck. $55. www.apogeetasmania.com
You get an each way bet with this excellent dryish riesling from Riversdale Estate in the Coal River Valley, just north of Hobart. While it is still alive with bright fruit notes, it also has the first signs of toasty aged character. The fruit is grown in the shadow of the University of Tasmania's radio telescope and the wine is named after the Latin word for swan. Think musk and mineral characters and an attractive aperitif-style made by Alain Rousseau at Frogmore Creek. $28. Sold through Cellarmasters, www.cellarmasters.com.au
Mania is the "budget" label of Jim and Daisy Chatto, who also produce premium Tasmanian wines under their Isle and Chatto labels. This is a blend of fruit from three different regions; the Huon Valley, Tamar Valley and East Coast, hand-picked and sorted, wild fermented and matured in aged French oak puncheons for 10 months. Distributed by Fourth Wave Wines (which exports some of the stock to Europe), this is well balanced and immediately accessible to but still has the style and complexity for which Chatto is known. Well worth checking out. $35.
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
