Haddow & Dineen 2018 Private Universe Pinot Noir

Haddow & Dineen is a small-batch wine collaboration between Bruny Island cheesemaker Nick Haddow and Josef Chromy chief winemaker Jeremy Dineen, using fruit from a small vineyard at Yorktown at the mouth of the Tamar River in northern Tasmania, where the vines grow in white quartz gravel. This is a very serious pinot with complexity and cool-climate intensity.  It is hand-picked, 50% whole-bunch fermented using indigeneous yeasts and unfined and unfiltered. This is easily among the 10 best pinots from Tasmania with savoury notes (think mushrooms and rainforest undergrowth) and structure alongside quality red fruit flavours. Very impressive. $48. www.haddowanddineen.com.au/

Kate Hill 2019 Shiraz

Not a lot of shiraz gets made in Tasmania. Many of the regions are simply too cold to ensure fruit ripeness and there aren't enough shiraz grapes grown to meet demand. Widely experienced Kate Hill is based in the cold Huon Valley but sourced the fruit for this rather spiffing cool-climate shiraz from the slightly warmer Coal River Valley. It well worth-seeking out with a real vivacity; red berry fruits meet savoury and spice characters with a soft. plummy finish. A delightful choice for end of winter pleasure; ours was enjoyed - and emptied - with a steak and kidney pie in front of a wood fire. $48. www.katehillwines.com.au.   

Josef Chromy 2019 Pepik Pinot Noir

Not all Tasmanian pinot noirs demand you take out an overdraft. This is a delightfully fruity entry level offering from Jeremy Dineen and the team at Josef Chromy that delivers freshness and easy drinking, along with plenty of varietal character. This is at the lighter end of the spectrum and could easily be enjoy chilled on a warm day, but it also has enough substance to pair stylishly with both vegetarian and casual dishes. Pair with a veggie burger for a real treat. For those worrying about "Pepik", it is a diminutive of Josef in his native Czech Republic. $25. www.josefchromy.com.au   

Eddystone Point 2018 Chardonnay

 

The Eddystone Point label was launched in 2013 as an affordable, easy drinking counterpoint to the Bay of Fires range from the same stable. These are wines designed to offer immediate pleasure - and this one delivers in spades with clean, cool-climate fruit from the Derwent and Coal River valleys augmented by barrel ferment and partial malo that have added palate interest without detracting from the juicy white stone fruit flavours, brisk acidity and fresh length. The winery tasting notes describe this as "perky" - which sums it up rather nicely. $30. www.eddystonepoint.com. 

Iron Pot Bay 2019 Pinot Grigio

There is a lot more to Tasmanian wine than bubbles, pinot noir and chardonnay. The tasters that I showed this wine were wowed both by the flavour profile and and the price. It is a lovely choice for one of those warmer evenings that are just around the corner; pleasantly herbaceous with refreshing tropical fruit salad notes on the palate. Iron Pot Bay is one of the rising stars on the Apple Isle, tucked away in the hamlet of Rowella on the left bank of the Tamar River it was planted in 1988 and purchased by the Mani family in 2013. $28. 

www.inronpotbayvineyard.com.au.

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.