Giant Steps 2023 Coal River Valley Pinot Noir

 

This is the only wine in Giant Steps'  single vineyard collection that is not made from Yarra Valley fruit. Grapes from two small portions of the Nocton Vineyard in the Coal River Valley are handpicked and loaded onto a refrigerated container parked by the vines. The fruit is then driven to Devonport, put on a ferry and delivered to the winery in Healesville the next morning for Mel Chester and her winemaking team. The clay soil produces pinots that are floral and elegant with minerality and serious poise. A wine with concentrated power, subtle French oak and some benchmark bright acid. Enjoy now, or cellar for up to a decade. $100. www.giantstepswine.com.au   

Bream Creek Vineyard NV Brut Rosé

 

Bream Creek's wines are excellent across the board -and this one found favour with my tasting group for both quality and value. Recently disgorged, this is has plenty of vivacious appeal as the weather starts to get a bit warmer. Pale salmon in colour, it has a fresh berry nose leading to a lively mousse and strawberry notes with hints of dry biscuit on the palate. There is a brisk, dry acid finish, making this a perfect aperitif style and a good match for seafood (think oysters or pan-fried flathead). Enjoy well chilled over spring or summer. $42. https://www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au/  

Glaetzer-Dixon 2021 Mon Pere Shiraz

 

Just a generation ago, the idea of world-class shiraz from Tasmania would have been laughable. Too cold, for starters. Then a new generation of growers and winemakers, aided by global warming, began pushing the boundaries with cool-climate shiraz. At the vanguard was former Barossa boy Nick Glaetzer, who won a Jimmy Watson Trophy for the 2010 vintage of this wine, named in honour of his father, renowned winemaker Colin.Glaetzer.  This is made from fruit grown in the Upper Derwent Valley, north of Hobart, and is very Rhone in style. It has just the right balance between juicy fruit and textural interest. There are spicy elements and the merest hint of funk. The wine has been aged in 30% new oak barrels. Seriously stylish. $70. https://www.gdfwinemakers.com/

Kate Hill 2023 Four Winds Estate Chardonnay

 

Kate Hill's chardonnays are a much in-demand commodity. The previous vintage sold out quick smart, leaving cellar door customers disappointed for several months. The new vintage release is 100% from the estate vineyard, which sits on a hillside in the Huon Valley with dramatic views. The fruit spent 10 months in oak, producing a classic cool-climate chardonnay with white stone fruit flavours, crisp minerality and deft hints of nutty oak. Give it some time to breathe and it is even more impressive. Pair with roast pork and crackling. $45. www.katehillwinenes.com.au.   

Holm Oak 2024 Pinot Gris

 

Freshness, vibrancy, complexity. This new release pinot gris from Holm Oak in the Tamar Valley ticks a lot of boxes for lovers of aromatic whites. The flavour profile is aided and abetted by 10% of the juice being fermented in older oak barrels and 10% undergoing wild fermentation in tank. The palate has distinctive pear characters to the fore, with some varietal musk notes.. There is plenty of flavour here, but the wine finishes with brisk acidity. A seriously delicious wine for immediate enjoyment. Pair with an Asian seafood dish or for maximum enjoyment. $32. www.holmkoakvineyards.com.au      

Holyman 2022 Chardonnay

Joe and Lou Holyman always seem to be having such fun when you visit their excellent Stoney Rise cellar door in the Tamar Valley. When it comes to winemaking, however, Joe is deadly serious about quality. This is an outstanding example of cool-climate chardonnay: lean and pinpoint accurate with a nod to flinty minerality and hints of gun smoke. The fruit is 100% estate grown from 36-year-old non irrigated vines. It has seen 100% new oak but the quality fruit has soaked it up. Delightful wine. Its 2022 Pinot Noir counterpart is equally impressive. $60. https://www.stoneyrise.com/

Evenfall 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Tasmania's cool climate means you don't see many cabernets from the island state - it is a hard grape to get ripe and needs just the right site. This comes from a relatively new producer in the Tamar Valley - based at what used to be the Elmslie in Legana. It is extremely impressive - as you'd expect from accomplished consultant winemaker Liam McElhinney - very composed, cohesive and stylish. I also tried a chardonnay and a pinot noir from the same producer and all three were impressive. Definitely a name to watch. $48. https://evenfall.au/