vineyard on his property, with access to water to come from the proposed South East Irrigation Scheme. Named after the six Tolpuddle martyrs, whose leader, George Loveless, served some of his sentence working on the property near Richmond, an initial 25 acres (10ha) of the new Tolpuddle Vineyard were planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 1988, on the south side of Moores Creek from Glen Ayr with the aim of supplying Domaine Chandon. “It was planted by grown-ups because they knew what they wanted,” said Hill Smith at a comprehensive tasting at Trivet in London of all the Tolpuddle Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs made since 2012. In 2006, the vineyard won the inaugural Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year award. Located in Tasmania’s southeast, at 42 degrees south, it’s farther south than any South African vineyard, roughly corresponding to Argentinian Patagonia or New Zealand’s Martinborough and Nelson. It has annual rainfall of 20in (500mm) and heat degree days of 1,180, with an average January temperature of 63°F (17.2°C)—and January, lest we forget, is summer in Australia. A cool, dry climate, combined with the gently sloping northeast-facing site on light silica over sandstone, makes Tolpuddle ideal for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Expecting Tasmania to be wet, cold, and green, Hill Smith and Shaw were right about the cold but not the green, with mountains to the west and a strong rain-shadow effect, the difference being that the east is dry, with a little bit more sun, so the grapes generally hang longer and achieve concentration combined with high acidity. “Some winemakers say they think the wines are too acid, but as in Chablis, acidity becomes part of the DNA of the wine,” Hill Smith insisted, while admitting that they do have to be mindful of the high acidity. Variable flowering can produce low yields, which in turn brings good concentration, and there is little disease pressure at harvest.
A decade of improvements Since the purchase, Hill Smith and Shaw have spent a decade getting the vineyard right. Under the vineyard team of Murray Leake, Carlos Souris, and Wendy Borg,
Overleaf (from left): Carlos Souris and Wendy Borg, vineyard managers; Tolpuddle Vineyard’s living, breathing soil, rich in organic matter.
TASTING
With Michael Hill Smith MW at Trivet, London, September 29, 2022
2021 A wet winter and a wetter than average spring, one of the coolest growing seasons, so a high proportion of smaller berries, low yields, and good concentration.
Chardonnay (13% ABV)
More approachable than the 2020, this shows superb aromatic complexity, and although still in the relative first flush of youth, it’s surprisingly intense in aroma, quite Burgundian, akin to Chablis grand cru. Savory, leesy characters combine with richness and concentration of fruit flavor in an intense mouthful whose sweetness turns enticingly savory as the trademark crisp acidity bites. | 95
Pinot Noir (13.5% ABV) Chardonnay (13% ABV)
Very youthful, with significant depth to the color. Showing both primary aromas and fruit, this is beautifully fragrant, with a fine, red-berry fruit perfume; some evidence of whole-bunch. The fruit on the palate, too, is bright and richly concentrated, with a seductive strawberry and loganberry richness to it, yet fresh. The concentration and richness turn to savory, thanks to an underpinning of stylish vanilla oak, fine-textured tannins, and a firm spine of incisive acidity. | 95
2020 Variable flowering resulted in “hen and chicken,” but “with small grapes packed with flavor, concentration and intensity increased.” The Chardonnay won five trophies at the Melbourne Wine Show.
Chardonnay (13% ABV)
Equally fine as the 2021 in aromatic complexity, with a marked, smoky-savory, leesy quality, subtle supporting oak and an almost painfully lively streak of crisply refreshing acidity bringing freshness yet without detracting from the full-bodied, full-flavored fruit character. All is beautifully balanced, with plenty of potential for a good decade’s improving in bottle. | 96
Pinot Noir (13% ABV)
Ruby with violet glints; very youthful in appearance. Lovely, spicy berry-fruit fragrance, complex and intense; some evidence of oak and whole-bunch, like a young Côte de Nuits Burgundy. Intense and concentrated dark- berry and cherry Pinot fruit, with an underpinning of vanilla oak in a structure of fine tannins and firm acidity, all finely balanced, with great potential for aging. | 95
2019
A highly rated vintage. A mild growing season, the slow ripening resulting in good concentration and power. The Pinot was smoke-tainted, though,
2017 A cool, challenging vintage—and yet with a long, cool ripening through to harvest, with, thanks to low yields, “amazing concentration. A bit of a beast initially, but it’s since calmed down,” said Hill Smith.
Chardonnay (13% ABV)
Pale gold. Subtle aromatics, delicately leesy, showing plenty of attractively ripe, full- bodied, peachy fruit that’s more fleshed out and concentrated than previous vintages, as if growing in stature and length. It is supported by fine, Chablis-like, citrusy acidity for an excellent, savory finish. | 94
Pinot Noir (13.5% ABV)
Youthful-looking, with a fine Pinot fragrance, sumptuous, complex berry- fruit quality underpinned by a subtle oak-spice that’s almost Burgundian. A fine mid-palate, with dark strawberry- and loganberry-fruit concentration. Good length is underpinned by quietly subtle oak in a seamless, enjoyably juicy-textured yet ageworthy and complex red. | 94
THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023 | 105
Pale gold. Fresh, the aromas now starting to become more complex with attractive struck match, leesy depth and quiet nutty oak. The fruit is juicily concentrated, sweetly ripe, and textured. Good length is supported by the delicate oak handling and fine lees-derived complexity. | 94
Pinot Noir (13.5% ABV)
Youthful appearance and pale in color, this shows a really attractive, fresh-strawberry fruit fragrance and good vigor. The youthful strawberry and cherry juiciness is nicely rounded out by subtle oak, all the while retaining a lively freshness, thanks to a structure that combines a firm spine of acidity with evident, gradually softening tannins. A crowd-pleaser. | 93
from the Huon Valley fires to the south, so none was bottled under the Tolpuddle label.
Chardonnay (13% ABV)
Pale gold. Intense, complex aromatics, combining nutty oak and lees, Burgundian in Chablis-meets- Puligny mold. The aromas are really starting to take off, with evident complexity from both oak- and lees-handling and a hint of struck match. The intensity of bright fruit, ripe and peachy now, is turning gradually to savory, thanks to a fine blade of mouthwatering acidity, all elegantly balanced. | 94
2018 “A nice, normal vintage, slightly quiet, with slow, even ripening achieved from drier conditions, resulting in good concentration and balance,” said Hill Smith.
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