Domaine A 2017 Lady A Sauvignon Blanc

Here's a wine for aficionados. While most sauvignon blancs are released young, this hits the market at three years of age. And while most savvy blancs are all about the fruit and acid, this wine sells itself with its crunch and beguiling textural characters on the palate. Think a classic Bordeaux blanc: this estate-grown wine makes a virtue of its neutral flavours, defining it as a delightful dinner party choice. Think purity and elegance, with quality French oak adding those textural elements. It is fermented in 100% new French oak barriques, matured on lees for 12 months and then rested in the cellar until deemed ready for release. Something special. $66. https://domaine-a.com.au/

Hurly Burly 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

This is one of only a handful of cabernet sauvignons made in Tasmania, where the cool weather can make the grape hard to ripen. The fruit comes a small microclimate on the state's East Coast and the end result is a very pleasant surprise; a cabernet with plenty of intensity and length in the style of left bank Bordeaux. You won't miss the label, which showcases the bug-eating guinea fowls found in many Tasmanian vineyards. Hurly Burly can often be found at Hobart Twilight Market. $35. www.hurlyburlywines.com.au 

Stoney Rise 2020 Gruner Veltliner

 

The Austrian grape variety gruner veltliner works well in cooler climates but Joe Holyman at Stoney Rise in the Tamar Valley was the first Tasmanian producer to make it commercially. As this new release illustrates - gruner is a terrific aromatic alternative to riesling or sauvignon blanc. This is delightfully fresh and enticing with floral notes, ripe pear and tropical notes along with some wisps of sea salt and crisp minerality. Lees stirring has added a cashew nutty element and the wine is unfined and unfiltered. Made entirely from estate grown fruit, this is well worth a look when you feel like trying something different. A super summer day picnic wine. $32. www.stoneyrise.com. 

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.