Holm Oak Pinot Noir 2018

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.

"Shows typically cool climate pinot characters of sappy spice and twiggy undergrowth but it has a sense of ripeness as well. The cherry flavours are towards being sweet-fruited and there's a suggestion of strawberry. A touch of cedary oak fits in nicely. A lovely wine."  Steven Creber

"2018 was a warm dry year. Whilst yields were relatively high, berry size was small. This resulted in well balanced Pinot with lovely aromatics, bright fruit and fine tannin structure. Our 2018 Pinot has some beautiful spice, strawberry and cherry characters on the nose. The palate has fantastic fruit intensity, vibrant acidity and fine silky tannins."  Holm Oak

Expert reviews

"Wild-yeast fermented in small open top fermenters, 10 months ageing in French oak, 25% new. Shows typically cool climate pinot characters of sappy spice and twiggy undergrowth but it has a sense of ripeness as well. The cherry flavours are towards being sweet-fruited and there's a suggestion of strawberry. A touch of cedary oak fits in nicely. A lovely wine. Drink by 2028."  Steven Creber, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"A beautiful Tasmanian pinot noir from the Tamar Valley. Elegance, finesse and oodles of tangy red fruit and spice make this a wonderful pinot noir to serve with food. Will develop magnificently in the cellar. Drink by 2030."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 95 points

Pinot noir from the Tamar Valley. It's in good form. Twig and spice notes aplenty but with a run of sweet, almost candied fruit. Red cherries, strawberries, toffee apples and cedar. Polished release. Finishes well. Everything in good order. Drink: 2019-2025+."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 93 points

Awards

Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 

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