Holm Oak Pinot Gris 2025

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 Pinot Gris and Arneis.

"Pinot Gris style is well suited to the slightly cooler climbs of Tasmania, although this was a reasonably warm and dry season. Adding complexity is the 10% of wild ferment in older oak and then the 10% wild-fermented tank. This has built complexity and texture into the wine, yet it still retains a vibrant linear energy with quite beautiful aromatics. Lovely florals, fairly typical apple and pear notes, and just a faint lemony zest on the finish. It’s textured and smooth, seamless, and has a lovely crunchy, vibrant finish. A most attractive Pinot Gris."  Ray Jordan

"This Pinot Gris exhibits floral aromas along with that of pear and sweet apple with hints of honey suckle and fresh hay. The flavour of pear continues on the fresh and perfumed palate joined by some crunchy nashi characters. Texturally, this wine is very silky at the staly but builds to a textured finish. The acidity is fresh and zesty, which adds structure and length, resulting in a satisfying and lingering finish. A perfect accompaniment to fresh Asian and seafood dishes.

2025 was a warm and dry season, allowing us to pick pristine, high quality Pinot Gris fruit. Approximately 10% of the wine was wild fermented in older oak barrels and 10% wild fermented in tank; this adds complexity and texture to the wine. The remaining juice was fermented using a range of fermentation techniques and yeast strains to enhance the aromatic characters of the wine."  Holm Oak

Expert reviews

"It's finely expressed on the nose, showing apricot, Asian pear, and subtle spice aromas with a hint of flinty overtone. The palate is juicy and finely flowing with bright fruit flavours, backed by fine texture and juicy acidity, finishing elegant and mouthwatering."  Sam Kim, Wine Orbit - 94 points

"Pinot Gris style is well suited to the slightly cooler climbs of Tasmania, although this was a reasonably warm and dry season. Adding complexity is the 10% of wild ferment in older oak and then the 10% wild-fermented tank. This has built complexity and texture into the wine, yet it still retains a vibrant linear energy with quite beautiful aromatics. Lovely florals, fairly typical apple and pear notes, and just a faint lemony zest on the finish. It’s textured and smooth, seamless, and has a lovely crunchy, vibrant finish. A most attractive Pinot Gris. Drink: 2026-2030."  Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot - 93 points

"Delicious drinking and an ideal sundowner, this Holm Oak Pinot Gris hits the spot with ease. A small portion was barrel fermented (10%) to build texture and that is evident in the final blend. Expressive aromas hook you in - think poached pears, canned pears, green apple and almond blossom. These flow seamlessly to the flavour profile with a delicate nuttiness adding depth. Fine white pepper spices tease a persistent finish with a lemony zip that adds lift and vibrancy on close leaving a lasting impression. A thoroughly enjoyable Pinot Gris, this is a great versatile drink that will be sure to please."  Steve Leszczynski, Qwine - 93 points

"Pale straw with characters of poached pear, guava, apple and citrus fruits, hints of almond meal, white flowers, pine nuts, crushed stone and lemon zest. Some nice tension and detail on the palate with a light textural sway and a dry finish that features a wicked lemon-drop acidity. Drink by 2031."  Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion - 92+ points

"10% of the fruit is wild fermented and into older oak barrels with 10% wild ferment in the tank. This is expressive with Freesia and nashi pear, some honeydew melon and apple candies.  Its orchard fruit is crisp but enough of the grape seed oil character to provide a textural edge. You will fall for its perfume and crunch but stay a whole longer contemplating its ability to transform in the glass. This is your roast pork belly, coriander, chilli lime salad kind of wine. Drink now."  Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot - 92 points

"The team here were very pleased with the quality of fruit from the 2025 vintage when it came to their Pinot Gris. 10% was wild-fermented in older oak barrels and a further 10% wild-fermented in tank. The intention here being to enhance the complexity and texture of the wine. Very pale straw in colour, the nose is redolent of crisp nashi pears and green apples, well supported by stone fruit notes and even a touch of sea breeze. This is a clean, pristine and even slightly leaner style of Pinot Gris, but very attractive nonetheless, offering good focus and brimming with energy. There is good balance throughout with a lingering finish and the wine can be enjoyed for the next four to six years. Drink:2026-2032."  Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot - 92 points

"Light straw colour with the faintest pink tinge. Sweetly flowery bouquet with fresh pastry, straw and dried floral aromas, the palate opens with a trace of sweetness over stone-fruits which adds a touch of richness and fleshy generosity to the palate. The finish arrives well-balanced and clean. A classy gris. Drink: 2026-2031."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 91 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