Coal River Valley Pinot Noir 2021, Tolpuddle Vineyards, Tasmania

This wine has gorgeous aromatics with violets and red berries coming to the fore. There is abundant fruit with notes of sour cherry, raspberry, blueberry, and a touch of rhubarb. Underlying savoury characters include graphite and cured meat, and some toasted spices. Medium weight, with very fine tannins. Fresh and enticing, perfumed and delicious.

The Tolpuddle Vineyard was purchased by Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw in 2011. First planted in 1988 by Tony Jordan and Garry Crittenden with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it has since established a reputation for growing exceptional quality grapes. The vineyard took its name from the Tolpuddle Martyrs, who were transported to Australia in 1834 for starting an agrarian union. The leader of the group, George Loveless, served part of his sentence working on a property near Richmond called GlenAyr, part of which is now the Tolpuddle Vineyard.

Following a wet winter, the 2021 season unfolded with a wetter than average spring. This rainfall set up good soil moisture. The region experienced one of the coolest seasons on record, leading to a high percentage of smaller berries, lower yields and excellent flavour concentration. All hand-picked fruit was fermented as a combination of whole berries and whole bunches in open wooden and stainless steel fermenters, with gentle plunging. The wine was aged in French oak for 10 months, of which about one third was new oak.