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/ 

Bream Creek 2023 Pinot Noir

 

There are few wine producers that offer consistent quality and value as does Bream Creek, tucked away on Tasmania's Tasman Peninsula. Vigneron Fred Peacock and his team have conjured a classic cool-climate estate pinot that's made in pretty small volumes. Vibrant red fruits dominate the bouquet and on the palate, where there is a youthful vibe and subtle spice hints. This would pair well with roast chicken, quail and other poultry dishes. Also check out the darker, more intense and cellar-worthy 2022 Reserve Pinot Noir ($70). This one is $50 and offers a lot of immediate drinking pleasure. www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au.

Sinapius 2023 Gruner Veltliner

 

Sinapius may be one of the smaller wine producers in Tasmania but Linda Morice is making some mighty wines from her close-planted hilltop vineyard at Pipers River. This is a super-impressive take on the Austrian grape variety gruner veltliner. which would seem well suited to Tasmanian conditions but is still surprisingly rare. This is a beautifully composed wine that manages to combine silky elegance with textural elements. Wild ferment and full malolactic fermentation have produced a wine full of interest. This is simultaneously floral, fruity, spicy and minerally. Lots of intensity, lots of length and lots of drinking pleasure here. $42. www.sinapius.com.au    

Henskens Rankin of Tasmania 2016 Brut Rosé

 

Another hugely impressive new release from Frieda Henskens and David Rankin, Tasmania's garagiste producers of quality traditional method sparkling wines. This is one of just 451 bottles made of this wonderfully expressive rosé bubbly that has benefited from extended time on lees, building complexity while managing to retain freshness. It is a multi-regional blend of fruit from the Coal River Valley and Pipers River with chardonnay (69%)the dominant grape variety. I loved the vibrancy in this salmon coloured wine with its evocative nose and a palate with notes of red fruits, sherbert, tangy pink grapefruit and ripe tangerine. There's a lot of length here, and some minerality on the finish. Pair with shellfish dishes and serve cool, but not cold. $105. https://henskensrankin.com/