Manufacturer:
Tolpuddle Vineyard, Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia 2014
Outstanding: rated in top Pinot Noirs outside Burgundy in April 2016 issue.
Lean, delicate raspberry nose with alluring purity of fruit allied to a light herbaceous tone. Plenty of body and mid-palate richness for a relatively slender wine. Tolpuddle Vineyard, Coal River Valley 2014 is a cool-climate style with considerable elegance.
Alc 12.5%
Price UK £37.20-£45.99 AG Wines, Eclectic Tastes, Brook & Vine. US – $63.99 (2013) Your Wine Biz*
*US stockist information from Wine-Searcher.com
In any contest for cool-climate status, Tasmania would be a strong contender. Much of the fruit leaves for the mainland, for use in top sparkling wines or blends. Planted in Coal River Valley in 1988, Tolpuddle was no exception. Owned by sparkling wine wizard Dr Tony Jordan, its 20ha supplied blends such as Domaine Chandon, Eileen Hardy and Penfold’s Yattarna Chardonnay. Then in 2011 the property was bought by Michael Hill-Smith and Martin Shaw of Shaw & Smith in the Adelaide Hills. Some vines were grafted over to new clones. The soil is very thin, sandy topsoil over sandstone and clay. Vinified by lauded winemaker Adam Wadewitz, the Pinot Noir is aged in one-third new oak. 2014 was a cool year with low yields. This wine is expensive, but the quality is evident.
