Holm Oak Arneis 2024

Holm Oak is located just north of Launceston, in Tasmania's Tamar Valley. Holm Oak is a labour of love for winemaker Bec Duffy and her viticulturist husband Tim Duffy. Since 2007 they have followed their dream of crafting delicious expressions of cool-climate Tasmanian wines. They specialise in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling that reflect the terroir of the pristine Tamar Valley, but also produce a small quantity of delicious Arneis - a white grape variety most commonly thought to have originated in Northern Italy's Piedmont region.

"This release from Holm Oak is a ripper. A wine of interest and depth, count me in! The interest launches from the get-go with scents of creamy mushroom sauce, white truffle and honeysuckle diffusing from the glass in a casual manner. A laid-back wine with a sleek stylish swagger, there is a fabulous length and width that captures my attention. Canned peach syrup, white-fleshed stonefruit, a flash of honeycomb and a hint of custard apple muse on a drawn-out finish highlighted by ginger spices. A wine most comfortable beside food, lazy sunsets and cheese boards are calling."  Steve Leszczynski

"This is a lovely classic style of Arneis. It has vibrant honeysuckle, stone fruit and nougat characters on both the nose and palate. The partial fermentation and maturation in the egg, along with the wild barrel fermentation has added texture and complexity. The palate has delicious richness and concentration and finishes with flinty acidity. 

The fruit for this wine was harvested when it was showing classic honeysuckle and grapefruit characters. The fruit was pressed and allowed to settle for 18 hours before being transferred to our Numblot egg (25%) and seasoned oak barrels. The wine underwent natural fermentation. Following fermentation, the wine was aged on yeast lees for 3 months prior to bottling."  Holm Oak

Winemaker Bec Duffy talks about Arneis

Expert reviews

"Holm Oak is the sole producer of arneis in Tasmania. The wine is a revelation, but with only 400 vines planted to the variety there's not much to go around. Honeysuckle, stone fruit and grapefruit abound on both the nose and palate, the latter textural and complex and driven by vibrant acidity that refreshes the long finish."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 95 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"The only Arneis grown in Tasmania, this release from Holm Oak is a ripper. A wine of interest and depth, count me in! The interest launches from the get-go with scents of creamy mushroom sauce, white truffle and honeysuckle diffusing from the glass in a casual manner. A laid-back wine with a sleek stylish swagger, there is a fabulous length and width that captures my attention. Canned peach syrup, white-fleshed stonefruit, a flash of honeycomb and a hint of custard apple muse on a drawn-out finish highlighted by ginger spices. A wine most comfortable beside food, lazy sunsets and cheese boards are calling. Drink to five years."  Steve Leszczynski, Qwine - 95 points

"You get a lot more than the usual fresh and fragrant arneis with this example. It was partially fermented in a Numblot egg and in seasoned oak, which along with wild yeast introduces a degree of complexity you don't often find with this variety. It's textured and bright with a fine vibrant acidity supporting the lively stone fruit and honeysuckle and nectar characteristics. The racy crisp finish completes an excellent wine."  Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot - 93 points

Awards

Special Value Wine – Canterbury Wines  ★ 

About the winery

Holm Oak is located just north of Launceston, in Tasmania's Tamar Valley. Holm Oak is a labour of love for winemaker Bec Duffy and her husband Tim Duffy, viticulturalist. Since 2007 they have followed their dream of crafting delicious expressions of cool-climate Tasmanian wines.

Bec Duffy has over 20 years winemaking experience in Australia and the US, while Tim Duffy, a third-generation grape grower and an agronomist with extensive viticultural experience, manages the vineyard, Their complementary skills drive their vision to produce delicious wines that reflect their home, Tasmania's pristine Tamar Valley, and their own personalities – honest, down to earth, genuine and authentic. 

Grape vines were planted in the rich and fertile land in 1983, making Holm Oak one of the older vineyards in Tasmania. Using the original Pinot Noir and Cabernet plantings, they now also cultivate Arneis, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. In total, Holm Oak has 12 hectares under vine.

Holm Oak is a full family affair overseen by general manager Pinot 'd' Pig. Like any good manager, Pinot the Pig wanders around keeping a close eye on the daily operations in the vineyards and winery. Pinot was supposed to be a miniature pig, however has grown to be a full-size team member, with a larger than life personality, and a keen eye (and nose) for detail. Every good manager however, has a weakness – if fed a couple of fresh apples, the worries of General Management fade away and Pinot is inclined to sleep on the job!

"Holm Oak in Tasmania's Tamar Valley gained its name from a planting of oak trees in the 1930s, intended to provide oak for tennis racquets. It came to nothing, and 50 years later 2ha of cabernet sauvignon and 0.4ha of pinot noir were planted.

In 2004 Ian and Robyn Wilson bought the property with a succession plan in place, their daughter Rebecca (Bec) already an experienced winemaker having worked on the mainland and in California. She arrived at Holm Oak in 2006, and the onsite winery was completed just in time for the 2007 vintage.

In the same year Bec's partner, agronomist Tim Duffy, arrived and they set about expanding the vineyard from 6a to 15ha; in pride of place is 7ha of pinot noir, with MV6 clone leading the census, plus D5V12, 114, 115, 777, D4V2 and 521. In 1991, 1ha of riesling had been planted; the balance now includes pinot gris (2ha), chardonnay (1.5ha) and arneis (0.3ha), with smaller plantings making up the remainder.

Prior to the completion of the winery, the wines had been competently contract-made. It's a very different story today, with shoot thinning, leaf plucking (on the western side) and removal of shoulder bunches of pinot noir (if needed). The partnership between winemaker and viticulturist has had multiple synergies, as success has followed success. Then there's the Southern Ocean, a vast air conditioner buffering the heat spikes that are part of summer in the southeastern corner of the mainland.

Sparkling wine used 37% of the total crush, which left pinot noir with 28%, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot gris in a three-way share of 8% each, riesling the remainder. One simple summary is sparkling, red and white wine, each with a third share. And Tamar Valley is the place to be, with almost 40% of the 2022 crush." James Halliday