Product Information:
Brian Croser affirms that the 2019 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay is "a very ageworthy expression of this unique Australian terroir." The 2019 vintage, a warm and dry year, honours the time-tested aphorism that "the best quality wine is made from a cool climate vineyard in a warm year." This wine ranked among the top 10 Best Chardonnays of 2020 in The Drinks Business magazine. Author Patrick Schmitt asserts, "Tapanappa, particularly its Tiers Vineyard expression, is undoubtedly one of the world’s most complete Chardonnays, solidifying the Adelaide Hills as one of the globe’s premier regions for this white grape."
With a small crop in 2019, the Tiers Chardonnay is exceptionally concentrated. The wine has a pale green/yellow hue, with aromas of nectarine, green fig, and a subtle bouquet of yeast and faint oak spice. True to the Tiers style, the wine showcases remarkable texture. The aromas and flavours are tightly wound in this young Chardonnay, requiring some time to fully open up. The bright, finishing acidity and a hint of grapefruit bitterness provide a suitable ending to the sweet fruit core. This is a "humdinger" of a Chardonnay that will only improve with age.
Hand-harvested into shallow trays and cooled to 2°C, the whole bunches were pressed gently in the Willmes Merlin airbag press. The juice was then racked into French Vosges oak barriques (33% new, with the balance in 1- and 2-use barrels). The wine was seeded with Tapanappa's own yeast culture and fermented in the cool autumn air of the Piccadilly Valley. No malolactic fermentation occurred due to the warmer vintage, and the wine sat on its full fermentation lees until it was racked clear in January 2020.
Maker:
Tapanappa is the culmination of a journey that has helped shape the modern Adelaide Hills wine scene. It was founded by Brian Croser, the visionary behind Petaluma, which he established as one of the region’s first and finest wineries. After Petaluma was taken over by corporate giant Lion Nathan in 2001, the Crosers retained ownership of their family home and the iconic Tiers Chardonnay vineyard at the original site.
In 2002, Brian and his wife Ann established Tapanappa in partnership with the Cazes family of Château Lynch-Bages (Bordeaux) and Bollinger Champagne. The French partners remained with Tapanappa until 2014, when the Crosers regained full control of the Piccadilly Valley winery and cellars. With the 2015 vintage, they revitalized the winery, marking the beginning of a new chapter for Tapanappa.
Today, Tapanappa operates as a family-run business, with Brian’s daughter Lucy and her husband Xavier Bizot managing the winery. Their son-in-law Sam Barlow oversees winemaking. Tapanappa’s wines are distributed across Australia by Terroir Selections, a company co-founded by Lucy and Xavier.
The Philosophy:
The name "Tapanappa" is derived from the 550-million-year-old geological formation beneath the Fleurieu Peninsula, where the Croser family also owns the Foggy Hill vineyard. Tapanappa means "sticking to the path" in the local Aboriginal language, reflecting the philosophy that has guided Brian Croser’s vineyard selection process. By matching climate, soil, and geology to the right grape varieties, Brian has crafted wines that are true expressions of their unique terroirs.
The Tiers Vineyard, planted with Chardonnay in 1979, is one of the most distinguished sites in Australia. Located in the Piccadilly Valley, it helped pioneer the cool-climate wine industry in South Australia. The Foggy Hill vineyard, planted with Pinot Noir in 2003 on the Fleurieu Peninsula, produces wines of great character and depth. For more robust reds, Tapanappa’s Whalebone Vineyard, in Wrattonbully, is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, making use of ancient soils where a 35-million-year-old whale skeleton was discovered.
Nose - Cashew Nutty, Ripe Melon, Biscuit Spices
A powerfully expressive bouquet of cashew-nutty, oaky, oatmeal biscuit aromas - subtle scents of pencil shavings accenting ripe melon and citrus.
Palate - Intense, Concentrated Citrus & Tropicals, Silky
Medium-bodied, generous and silky in feel, with more pineapple flavours evident on the palate.
Finish - Mouthwatering, Dry, Refreshing Acidity
Finishes long, with mouthwatering citrus and delicate oak nuances
Very light, bright yellow hue. A powerfully expressive bouquet of cashew-nutty, oaky, oatmeal biscuit aromas, the palate very intense and penetrating, concentrated and high-impact. The finish is ultra-dry, appetising and refreshing. The intensity is almost forbidding in its youth. An excellent wine; better in another year or two. - Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 96 Points.
Pale straw-colored, the 2019 Chardonnay Tiers Vineyard comes from the original plantings made in 1979 at 450 meters above sea level. Entirely barrel-fermented in one-third new French oak with the balance in second- and third-use barrels, it boasts subtle scents of pencil shavings accenting ripe melon and citrus. Medium-bodied, generous and silky in feel, with more pineapple flavors evident on the palate, it finishes long, with mouthwatering citrus and delicate oak nuances. - Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, 93 points.
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Chardonnay
Country - Australia
Region - Piccadilly Valley, South Australia
Vintage - 2019
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 12.9%
