Holm Oak Chardonnay 2020

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. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling are outstanding.

"Lifted aromas of grilled nuts, nougat, white peach, melon skin and white flowers. Rich, layered and textured on the palate, where there's plenty of powerful fruit flavour with ample nutty French oak and an element of malo giving mouth-feel, creaminess and richness. A very smart wine."  Aaron Brasher

"This is an elegant, refined cool climate Chardonnay. The nose displays aromas of citrus fruit, apricot kernel and white peach with spicy integrated oak, whilst the palate has lovely textural richness as a result of malolactic fermentation extended time on lees, however it finishes with fine, minerally acidity.

2020 was a cooler year and as a result natural acidity levels were quite high. We picked the fruit when the flavour profile was in the citrus/nectarine spectrum, and with higher than usual natural acidity. The fruit was pressed to tank and allowed to settle for 24 hours and then racked to barrel (30% new French oak and 70% 1-4 yr old). The wine underwent 100% natural fermentation, and 60% malolactic fermentation. This MLF percentage was higher than usual to achieve balance in a year with higher acidity levels. The wine was matured in oak for 10 months prior to bottling."  Holm Oak

Expert reviews

"Lifted aromas of grilled nuts, nougat, white peach, melon skin and white flowers. Rich, layered and textured on the palate, where there's plenty of powerful fruit flavour with ample nutty French oak and an element of malo giving mouth-feel, creaminess and richness. A very smart wine. Drink: 2022-2029."  Aaron Brasher, The Real Review - 95 points

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