Tag: Chardonnay

Tamar Valley Wine Route

The Tamar River can be found north of Tasmania second city of Launceston. It flows for over 60km towards the Bass Straits and is home to some of the islands best wines. To create a circular route for visitors the Tamar Valley wine region has been combined with the Pipers Brook region to the east and it makes for a pleasant day either self guided or by joining a tour from Launceston.

Some Wine Facts

  • The Tamar Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region with vines first established in 1823 by former convict Bartholomew Broughton.
  • The modern vineyards began to be established in the 1970s
  • The climate here is best described as maritime with warm summers and cool winters, ideal for making cool climate wines.
  • 40% of Tasmania’s premium wines are made in the Tamar Valley and 19% in Piper’s Brook.
  • Pipers Brook region is known to produce Australia’s best sparkling wines.
  • The principal grape varieties grown are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.
  • The wine route is around 170km and is marked by a yellow sign with a blue bunch of grapes.
  • There are over 30 cellar doors to visit but some may require an appointment so it is as well to check beforehand.

We followed the route anticlockwise from Launceston, mainly so that we could hit the sparkling wine producers in Pipers Brook in the morning rather than later in the day after we’d been tasting red wines. The route is easy to follow and is well marked once you have left the city. Departing Launceston on the A8 we made a right turn onto the B81 and headed for the town of Lebrina. There are far too many cellar doors to visit in a single day so a little pre planning is a good idea. A map of the route and list of wineries is available here.

First up for us was Clover Hill (60 Clover Hill Road, Lebrina), an estate which specialises in the production of sparkling wines made in the traditional way. The property was established in 1986 and produced its first vintage in 1991. Six sparkling wines available to taste and I particularly enjoyed the Vintage Brut 2013, a blend of Chardonnay (63%), Pinot Noir (31%) and Pinot Meunier (6%), which was elegant with some lovely toasty notes and good length. The Vintage Rose 2015 was also rather delicious with some delicate and elegant strawberry fruit.

Next up was Jansz (1216B Pipers Brook Road), a producer whose entry level wines are readily available in the UK. Two tastings are available here with a small charge for the top wines which is waved if you make a wine purchase. We opted for the full range and it was well worth it, these were some of the best wines we tasted.The Premium Cuvee represents excellent value for money, a 60% Chardonnay 40% Pinot Noir blend it is delicate with lovely texture and a long lingering finish. However my personal favourite was the Late Disgorged Vintage Cuvee 2011, a blend of 56% Chardonnay and 44% Pinot Noir. An elegant wine with richness and complexity. It has an incredibly long nutty finish.

Next door to Jansz is Pipers Brook Vineyard (1216 Pipers Brook Road) where we sampled some very fine Riesling 2018 and a lighter style Gewurtztraminer 2019 which had lovely delicate Turkish delight and floral notes.

We had then hoped to visit the Bay of Fires Winery (40 Baxters Road, Pipers River) but despite dialling the number given on the cellar door we couldn’t make contact. Nevermind there is always the next time we are in Tasmania! From here it is a rather pleasant drive over into the Tamar River valley itself crossing the modern Batman Bridge. The vines disappear as you leave the Pipers Brook region and you will not really see them again until you are on the eastern bank of the Tamar.

We started off with a visit to Holm Oak ( 11 West Bay Road, Rowella) has a comprehensive portfolio of wines. We were lucky to taste over fifteen wines and the overall quality was excellent. Particularly enjoyable whites included a 2018 Arneis, fermented in concrete egg and displaying peachy stone fruit and a nice texture. Also enjoyable were the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc and both the estate and Wizard Chardonnays. The Pinots were delightful ranging from an easy drinking Estate Pinot 2018 to a complex and ethereal 2017 Hot Shot Pinot Noir. A 2019 Cabernet Franc with a nose of red berries and violets was delightful, juicy and easy drinking.

The cellar door at Moores Hill (3343 West Tamar Hwy, Sidmouth)has a lovely location, surrounded as it is by vines. Standout here was the Chardonnay 2018, fermented in a mixture of new and old oak and aged for ten months this is everything you could want, lovely lemon citrus with subtle toasty vanilla. The Pinot Noir 2018 was cherry , delicate perfume and a gentle savoury spice. A lovely crafted wine.

Our final call of the day was to Stoney Ridge ( Hendersons Lane, Gravelly Beach) was a superb drive from Moores Hill along the banks of the Tamar. Stoney Ridge is a small 8 hectare property which is organically managed and is in a wonderful location.

Pinot Noirs here are excellent with a no sulphur Pinot which would make very fine easy drinking. The star of the show was the Holyman Pinot Noir 2017 with lovely eight and depth, elegant and complex. A fine ending to a great day out.

Winter Wine Round Up

I haven’t done a wine round up for several months but the period around Christmas and New Year is always a significant one in terms of bottles opened and enjoyed with family and friends. The festive season provides a good excuse to open special bottles or something a little out of the ordinary and somehow the wines take on an additional significance when they are accompanied by great food and good company. Here are a few short notes on some of those that made a significant impression.

Arnot Roberts. Watsons Road Chardonnay. 2014. Napa Valley. USA. A Californian Chardonnay of such perfect balance. Intense flavours of lemon, stone fruit, almond and a touch of butter. There is a real elegance here. A savoury edge to the finish. Excellent and a real favourite around the table. This wine is a great example of what chardonnay can do in California when it is not overly oaked.

Bergstrom Old Stones Chardonnay. 2015. Oregon. USA. A lovely balance of orange, pear and stone fruits with a touch of gunsmoke. Fresh acidity and a touch of vanilla. Very nice.

Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay. 2014. Hemel-En- Aarde. South Africa. Yellow gold in appearance, clear and bright. Nose is tropical, nutty, lemon citrus and spicy vanilla. The palate is delightful, nicely balanced with good acidity to balance the rich fruit. The mouthfeel is slightly creamy and there are lovely flavours of tropical pineapple and almond marzipan. A lovely lemon zesty finish. Excellent stuff.

Yeti and the Kokonut. Savagnin. 2018. Adelaide Hills. Australia. Pale yellow, slightly hazy with aromas of lemon, pear and a slightly almond nuttiness. The palate is dry with nice texture and balance and a lovely lemony finish. Delightful, very nice indeed. Just wish I was in the Australian sun drinking it!

Chateau de Fieuzal. Pessac Leognan. 2010. France. A great depth of colour and slightly closed on the nose. The palate however is very expressive with black fruits, tobacco and a touch of liquorice. There is a softness and touch of sweetness to the palate. Excellent and very popular.

Chateau La Fleur Petrus. Pomerol. 1995. France. Wonderfully intense nose of black fruits, liquorice and menthol. The palate is full, rich and with lovely balance. An incredibly long finish. Superb.

Grahams 1983. Nose is complex with berries, dried fruit and fig. Drinking beautifully, rich but well balanced with a lingering finish. Wonderful.

Dows 1985. Stunningly good. Expressive, rich, savoury dried fruits with a touch of spice and soft tannins. This is drinking very well.

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud. Sauternes. 2003. This is absolutely delicious. Such a well balanced wine, it has honeyed sweetness, citrus, almond and an excellent texture. Very very good.

Wine Round Up

Somehow missed posting this the other week. Here are some of the favourite wines tasted/drunk during the last few weeks. In no particular order.

Tio Pepe Fino En Rama. – this is so good I wrote a post about it at the time. Fresh, vibrant and everything a quality fino should be. If you don’t think you like dry sherry try this. Furthermore it will keep in fridge happily for up to a week .

Etabeta. Fattoria Kappa. Tuscany 2016. Italy – Vermentino made with minimum intervention and no filtration. This is rich and seductive with bags of tropical fruit, peach and limes. Great texture and depth and lovely, lovely fruit. A very fine wine indeed.

On Pète La Soif. Jean Paul Thévenet. 2016. Beaujolais. France. – Beaujolais but not as we know it, its sparkling! Whats not to like about this wine, its bursting with flavour, strawberry juice with a hint of bubblegum and rose petal and off dry. With only 7.5% alcohol it makes a great aperitif. Fun in the sun.

Tinpot Hut. Sauvignon Blanc. 2017. Marlborough. New Zealand – Aromas of lime, gooseberry and a touch of apricot. Palate is fresh and crisp with zingy acidity and a lovely finish.

Cognettera Gwenn, Cognettes. 2015. Muscadet. France. -fermented in amphora with 10% whole berries using wild yeasts. Aged for 12 months in amphora. Nose is stone fruit and herbs. The palate is peach and pear, its soft, round with a touch of sweetness and a long, lingering peachy finish. A very appealing wine with real character and finesse. Excellent.

Juliénas. Domaine David Chapel. 2016. Beaujolais. France. – had this at a restaurant in London and was very impressed. Lovely, lovely wine. light red fruits with real elegance and a nice savoury finish.

El Inquilino Crianza, Rioja. 2014. Spain. – Great depth of colour and rich dark fruits with a splash of vanilla> Palate is rich, smooth with lovely peppery spice. The finish is blackcurrant. Great value for money.

Clonale Chardonnay. Kooyong. 2016. Mornington Peninsula. Australia. – This is well made chardonnay with real character. Aromas of lemons, stone fruit followed by a hint of vanilla. The palate is medium bodied with pineapple, lemon, peach and a touch of baked bread. Nicely balanced and a lingering finish. Very nice.