Domaine A Stoney Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

Domaine A is set in one 
of the most pristine natural environments
 in the world and their Stoney Vineyard is the oldest vineyard in Tasmania's Coal River Valley. The wines from Domaine A and their second label Stoney Vineyard are amazing. They generally appeal more to hard-core wine lovers, casual sipping is better left for other brands. 

Expert reviews

"A beautiful expression of Tasmanian pinot noir matured in seasoned French oak barriques for 18 months. Perfumed, long and juicy, the palate combines power, elegance, depth and length. Will age magnificently."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 96 points

About the winery

Domaine A is set in one 
of the most pristine natural environments
 in the world. The first acre of vines was planted in 1973 by the pioneering George and Priscilla Park, but it wasn't until Peter and Ruth Althaus acquired Stoney Vineyard in 1989 that Domaine A came into its own. The historic Stoney Vineyard is the oldest in Tasmania's Coal River Valley and it was the culmination of a long and exhaustive world-wide search by Peter Althaus for terroir ideally suited to cool-climate viticulture.

The Stoney Vineyard site offers a cool, maritime climate with long sunshine hours.  The vines sit in ancient 200-million-year-old Jurassic dolerite. The vineyard is north facing and is close planted in the European tradition (1.9 x 0.9m), with a density of 6000 vines per hectare. Annual rainfall is often less than 500mm. Grapes ripen well into late April and early May, bringing flavours of great subtlety and intensity to the wines. The vineyard today is 11ha in size and planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

In 2018, ownership of Domaine A passed from Peter Althaus, its long-term custodian, to Moorilla Estate. There were no changes to existing employees, with Conor van de Reest continuing as winemaker. 

"Our vines are grown over an eleven hectare single vineyard. Cabernet sauvignon, of course, alongside cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot and pinot noir. As for white? Our Lady A is legendary, inspired by the famous oaked sauvignon blanc of Bordeaux. For a different expression of fruit, method and terroir, we produce younger, more approachable, drink-now styles—red, white, rosé—under the Stoney Vineyard label.

Our approach to winemaking is unyielding. Without compromise. If the fruit isn't perfect, the wine doesn't get made. When other vineyards pick fruit out of weather fear, worried about losing fruit to the rain, our winemaker says: No, we wait. In this age of instant gratification, we only release wines at their best. And that can take years. Our dedication runs full circle. Vines are hand-plucked, hand-tied and hand-picked during the cool days of autumn. Wines are pressed down by hand. And by hand, our barrels are racked through the year. From bud burst to bottles leaving the winery, precision and care shape our process.

This is cool-climate wine country. Ancient soil and champagne air. A temperate maritime climate and long hours of sunshine, even over the long cool season. Slow-ripening fruit and aromatic varieties brought forth from our impeccably tended Stoney Vineyard—the oldest in the historic Coal River Valley in southern Tasmania. Each vintage is a constant reflection of this extraordinary, elemental terroir: climate and soil, vineyard and method, founded on 200-million-year-old Jurassic dolerite. These wines have distinct personalities, not constrained by region or varietal typicity.

Here in the valley we tend to our work, but our origins lie in Europe. Our first acre was planted in 1973 by the pioneering George and Priscilla Park, but it wasn't until Peter and Ruth Althaus acquired Stoney Vineyard in 1989 that Domaine A came into its own. They'd been searching the southern hemisphere for the perfect cool-climate vineyard—an Antipodean answer to the great estates of France and Germany. In Stoney Vineyard, they picked the perfect spot to produce fruit with the intensity and subtlety to rival the storied vineyards of Europe."  Domaine A