Moorilla 2017 Cloth Label White

This is something a little bit special from Conor van der Reest and the team at Moorilla. Stylish and complex on the palate, this is a blend of six grape varieties grown at the St Matthias vineyard in the north of Tasmania - and even includes some pinot noir to add palate interest. The field blend includes riesling, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, gewurztraminer, pinot gris and 11% pinor noir, creating a wine that reflects the terroir rather than varietal characters. There is a rich palate thanks to some skin contact, but that is matched by some crisp acid. The wine was bottled in 2018 and has been maturing until its recent release. Buy one for now, and one for later. Just 161 cases were made. $75. www.moorilla.com.au     

Apogee 2022 Alto Pinot Gris

 

No one knows more about viticulture and winemaking in Tasmania than Andrew Pirie, who has launched several brands over the decades but now concentrates his efforts on his own tiny Apogee vineyard in the north of the state. This is consciously made in an Alsace pinot gris-style with a focus on a soft, dry, stylish and slightly creamy palate impact. It is textural and well-rounded thanks to a partial malolactic fermentation, but also very pleasurable with fragrant aromas on the nose, pear notes, minerality and a well-balanced palate structure that suggest medium-term cellaring will be rewarded. $47 www.apogeetasmania.com.au   

Henskens Rankin 2012 Vintage Brut

Since 2010, Frieda Henskens and David Rankin have been crafting tiny amounts of potentially long-lived sparkling wines made from tiny parcels of cool-climate Tasmanian fruit. These are not wines for everyone - but they are much in demand by aficionados with their rare blend of freshness and power. This is a blend of 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir and one of only 1400 bottles made. Each vintage spends a minimum of six years on yeast lees and are then further aged under cork. The fruit is sourced from across Tasmania: the Tasman Peninsula, Coal River Valley and Tamar Valley. A stylish sparkling wine for enjoying with friends .$95. https://henskensrankin.com/

  

Freycinet 2021 Botrytis

 

My wife made a delightful plum crumble using fruit from our garden, and this delicious "stickie" from the East Coast of Tasmania was an excellent partner for it, with its delightful sweetness allied to bright acidity on the finish. With a distinctive label by the late Tasmanian-based artist Tom Samek, this is an unusual blend of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, schonberger and riesling grapes. It a fresh and vibrant dessert wine with sweet citrus and stone fruit flavours, but it would also work well as a counterpoint to pates, terrines and cheeses. Stunning value at $35 for 500ml. http://freycinetvineyard.com.au/

Sinapius 2022 Esmé Gamay

This is the perfect lighter-style red wine for enjoying chilled with a light lunch on a warm summer day. I know, because I had a couple of glasses over lunch last week and was mightily impressed. I'm always surprised we don't see more gamay in Australia - the Beaujolais grape is ideally suited to our lifestyle - and Linda Morice has certainly cracked the code with the a wine that has delightful vibrancy. The fruit is estate grown at Pipers River in a high-density vineyard, and underwent whole-bunch carbonic maceration for three weeks before being matured in large format oak for seven months. It is unfined and unfiltered. Think fresh red berry characters along with lovely length, bright acid and palate persistence. $42. https://sinapius.com.au/

Jansz 2014 Late Disgorged Vintage Cuvée

 

Tasmania is well known for producing many of Australia's finest sparkling wines - and this small-batch release from Jansz is right up with the best of them, offering delightful freshness (thanks to recent disgorgement) allied to palate complexity (from years of bottle development). This wine is only made in the best vintages with a few bottles held back to age for an extra four years for added depth of flavour. A traditional blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, this is a Tasmanian classic at a very fair price. $60. ww.jansz.com.au/

Kate Hill 2022 Sauvignon Blanc

 

Sauvignon blanc is back baby - thanks to cool-climate wines like this one that have turned down the herbaceous dial and upped the tropical fruit flavours a tad. I do occasional shifts at Kate Hill's cellar door (bias declared) - and this recent release has surprised quite a few tasters with its immediate accessibility and appeal. It spent six months in aged oak barrels to add textural elements, but retains fruit-driven appeal with minerality, tropical and citrus notes and just a hint of toasty oak. One for enjoying chilled on a warm day, matched with seafood or salads. $33. www.katehillwines.com.au/