Domaine A 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon

A new release that is a decade old is something worth celebrating. An impressive blend of Bordeaux varieties that is very much old school in style; this is still  relatively fresh, however, with a smidgen of green herbal notes. A savoury nose with beetroot and blue cheese leads to a palate that veers between cassis and red cherry and truffles and mint. At 14% the alcohol is higher than most Bordeaux reds and this spends 36 months in French barriques (mostly new). Neither Bordeaux or Australian cabernet, this is unique and earnestly intriguing thanks to its terroir - a unique micro-climate in the Coal River Valley north of Hobart. $120. https://domaine-a.com.au/

Bream Creek 2017 Reserve Pinot Noir

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.

Pipers Brook 2019 Gewurztraminer

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     

Brown Brothers 2018 Patricia Chardonnay

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. 

Bream Creek 2018 Pinot Noir

Tasmania is not the easiest place to make consistently great wine; with cold winters, bushfires and hail among the enemies of fine viticulture. Yet somehow, Fred Peacock at Bream Creek Vinyeard, established 46 years ago, makes consistency look absurdly easy. You never see a poor wine from Bream Creek, and yet the wines are among the more affordable from the Apple Isle. This recent release has a gorgeously aromatic nose with a bright cherry fruit allied to a long finish and impressive tannin structure. This has already swept up several show trophies and can be summed up as long, intense and beautifully balanced. One for sipping and savouring, perhaps in front of a roaring winter fire with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on the stereo. $42. www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au. 

Stargazer 2018 Chardonnay

Sam Connew has been in Tasmania for five years; via New Zealand, McLaren Vale and the Hunter Valley. This complete chardonnay from fruit grown on 20+ year-old vines at Ouse, in the upper Derwent Valley, is enough on its own to mark her as one of the stars of the Apple Isle. I recently tasted her range and this particularly won me over with fresh lemon rind characters on the nose, flinty minerality and mixed nut characters. This is the epitome of modern cool-climate chardonnay; tightly focused with citrus and white stone fruit elements in harmony with quality oak. $55. www.stargazerwine.com.au.

Quiet Mutiny 2019 Venus Rising Syrah

Many Tasmanian vineyards are too cool for shiraz to ripen consistently but care and attention in the vineyard and some smart winemaking from Greer Carland have produced a very attractive young Derwent Valley syrah that's full of the joys of youth and chock-a-block with spicy, peppery characters alongside some vibrant - and very varietal - fruit notes. This is a deliciously poised cool-climate red using a fair swag of older vine fruit. The juice spent 16 days on skins and was maturation in French oak (20% new) for just under 10 months. Medium-bodied with 13% abv, judiciously put together with soft red fruit flavours and supple tannins this is well worth seeking out for anyone who enjoys Tasmanian wines. $48. www.quietmutiny.wine