Product Information:
2022 was a very strong year for Pinot Noir at Tolpuddle. There is complexity and power, pure balanced fruits and lifted spice only obtainable in cool seasons. The wine shows a mosaic of ripe red cherry, smoked meat, and olive notes, framed by fine but firm tannins. Seamless texture, with an excellent length of flavour. This is an exciting vintage.
The grapes were all hand-picked and fermented as a combination of whole berries and whole bunches, in open fermenters, with gentle pump-overs and plunging. The wine was aged in French oak for ten months, of which about one third was new.
Maker:
Why Tasmania? This is a question Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith MW have been asked frequently since buying the highly rated Tolpuddle Vineyard in the Coal River Valley about 30 minutes from Hobart.
Three obvious factors. One, the long term insurance against climate change. Two, Tasmania’s pristine environment. Three, the excellence of the state’s best wines. Whilst these factors undoubtedly played a part – in the end it was serendipity and good fortune and really compelling wines that helped win the day.
Inspired by the accounts of renowned wine writers - Halliday, Hooke, Stock. Martin and Michael decided to go on a reconnaissance trip, with little to no intention of buying.
Dinner on the first night of their trip was with legend Andrew Pirie and former Hardy’s chief winemaker Peter Dawson. Pirie arrived with laptop in hand complete with climatic maps and data which proved to be enlightening. Cousins Martin and Michael Shaw aren't exactly new to wine, a decorated winemaker and the other Master of Wine, oh and the fact they own a little label called Shaw + Smith. But even didn't know just how cold and dry eastern and southern Tasmania are, principally due to the rain shadow effect of the westerly mountains. This combination of dry and cold conditions produces grapes with outstanding flavour and acidity, but without the same disease threat of wetter climates. The wheels would begin to turn.
After a bottle of Roederer, Bonneau du Martray and number of good Tassie wines, Dawson boldly predicted that “Tasmania would be making Australia’s best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir within the next decade”. Capturing the imagination of our traveling protagonists.
The following day the Shaws visited some wineries en route to Tolpuddle – a vineyard near Richmond established in 1988 by Tony Jordan, Gary Crittenden and Bill Casimaty. The moment they drove through the gate it was love at first sight. 20 hectares of mature Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines planted on a long even slope, with lean soils, forests above and water below and great vineyard exposure. Spectacular.
It took barely two days to find their perfect vineyard, of course one not even on the market! On their return to the mainland Martin made an initial approach via Tony Jordan and much to our delight negotiations commenced and were soon successfully completed.
The plan was to make to single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under the Tolpuddle Vineyard label – making a small amount of wine in 2012 for release in 2013. And well the rest is history and no doubt, one in the making.
Vineyard:
The coldest vintage we have experienced in more than a decade. Cool conditions especially around the time of flowering resulted in a combination of low yields and concentration of flavour. These cooler conditions which persisted throughout the entire growing season
culminated in great natural acidity, now synonymous with Tolpuddle Vineyard fruit. A very strong year for Pinot Noir at Tolpuddle. There is complexity and power, balanced by pure fruit notes and cool season spice. It shows powerful fruit, with ripe red cherry, smoked meat, and olive notes, framed by fine but firm tannins. Great length of flavour. An exciting vintage. The grapes were all hand-picked and fermented as a combination of whole berries and whole bunches, in open fermenters, with gentle pump-overs and plunging. The wine was aged in French oak for ten months, of which about one third was new.
Nose - Blackberry, Five Spice Nuances, Smoky
The bouquet is loaded with black cherry, blackberry and spice aromas, a hint of smoky oak adding charcuterie and five spice nuances.
Palate - Pure Dark Cherry, Wild Strawberry Fruits, Roasting Game
Lovely pure dark cherry and wild strawberry fruits, cut with exotic spice, charcuterie, roasting game, shiitake broth, amaro herbs, purple floral tones and complex forest floor notes.
Finish - Dark Cherry, Panforte, Hazelnut
Laced with dark cherry, panforte, hazelnut and twiggy herbs, with a gentle smoky spice element in tow.
Impressively deep, rich purple-red colour, unusual in Australian pinot noir. The bouquet is loaded with black cherry, blackberry and spice aromas, a hint of smoky oak adding charcuterie and five spice nuances, while the palate is voluptuously full and rich, decadently flavoured, with luxurious flesh and fruit, abundant fine/soft tannins and terrific length. There are some whole-bunch nuances which are beautifully incorporated into the wide array of flavours. A totally convincing and thoroughly impressive Aussie pinot noir to compare with the best in the world. - Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 98 Points.
Tolpuddle has firmly cemented its position at the pointy end of the Tasmanian pinot noir pyramid, consistently producing knockout wines that have become a benchmark for the region. Nothing changes with the 2022 release, which shows wonderful fruit intensity and oodles of pinosity in a graceful package. Lovely pure dark cherry and wild strawberry fruits, cut with exotic spice, charcuterie, roasting game, shiitake broth, amaro herbs, purple floral tones and complex forest floor notes. Textural and elegant yet with an undercurrent of latent power and intensity, a tight tannin frame and a long finish that shows balance and poise. Just wonderful stuff. - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, 96 Points.
There’s a fair few primo 2022 pinots from Tasmania out there that seem kind of bony and firm, and this joins the ranks. Structure and seriousness aren’t missed in the wines, but a sense that 2022, from all over the vast Tasmania GI, are a restrained lot. With some air time, this wine opened with some prettiness, so a decant or airtime is ideal. A racy pinot noir, tense with a sheath of graphite-laced tannin, set to cedary, mahogany oak seasoning as a strong currency, and laced with dark cherry, panforte, hazelnut and twiggy herbs, with a gentle smoky spice element in tow. It drives with its frisky acidity, a feature that keeps the wine refreshing and edgy, reminiscent of wines to be drunk a while down the trail. I liked the wine more with time spent with it, evolving attractively and offering more perfume and flavour as the hours went by. Serious stuff here, for those seeking pinot of firmness and architecture. - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, 94+ Points.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - Australia
Region - Coal River, Tasmania
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 1.5L
ABV - 13.5%
