Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2018

James Halliday Top 100 Wines of 2019

Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW (Shaw & Smith) purchased the vineyard in 2011 after a look-and-see jaunt to Tasmania when they became smitten by Tolpuddle's Coal Valley location and mature vines, planted only to pinot noir and chardonnay. They are fully committed to seeing Tolpuddle Vineyard recognised as one of Australia's great single vineyards. 

"The bouquet and palate send the same message of perfectly captured white stone fruits, then apple and grapefruit. An irresistible wine with spectacular length."  James Halliday

In barely a decade, Tolpuddle has established itself as one of the country's top producers. It produces wines of blistering precision and finesse which have received rave critical acclaim. They are highly sought-after and are some of the finest examples of chardonnay and pinot noir that can be found anywhere on the Apple Isle.

"If ever a new winery was born with blue blood in its veins, Tolpuddle would have to be it."  James Halliday

"This wine is true to the Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay style: fine  and precise with firm acidity, and a combination of lightness of texture and intensity of flavour. The 2018 vintage has the natural acidity you would expect but is approachable, with flavour in the lemon citrus, lemon soda, lemon pith, spectrum. The grapes were all hand picked, whole bunch pressed, and fermented in French oak. The wine spent nine months in barrel with gentle stirring as required, then rested in tank on lees.

2018 Vintage: Mild conditions in spring saw nicely balanced shoot development leading up to flowering. Then some warmer weather in early summer meant that the vines were tracking slightly ahead compared to average. Slow and even ripening then followed, with dry conditions resulting in excellent flavour concentration."  Tolpuddle

Expert reviews

"Hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in French oak barrels with limited stirring. The bouquet and palate send the same message of perfectly captured white stone fruits, then apple and grapefruit. An irresistible wine with spectacular length. Drink by 2033."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 98 points and Top 100 Wines of 2019 and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"An exceptional chardonnay with a wealth of very fresh and slightly flinty lemon, grapefruit, white-peach and grilled-hazelnut aromas. The palate has such grace and well-defined, pure lemon and grapefruit, as well as white and yellow peaches. The toasted-hazelnut afterglow is stunning. Hints of praline, too. So elegant, pristine and pure. Exceptional. Drink or hold. Screw cap."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com  – 98 points

"The similarities between this 2018 Chardonnay and the 2017 before it are stark. Both are firm, savory, concentrated and intense—almost painfully so in the mouth. The joint approach of acid and fruit are woven together in a DNA strand of completion that descend on the palate and coordinates an attack so precise that it stings. It simultaneously lingers in the mouth and the memory. The fruit is wrapped around a core of acid and crouches on the mid-palate. This is a sensational wine in every respect of the term. Drink: 2022-2038."  Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 95 points

"Light yellow colour, restrained for its age and so is the bouquet. Aromas of almond and other freshly-shelled nuts. A tightly-composed palate which needs more time to unfurl its goodies. Tautly-structured; great tension. It has excellent intensity and drive and is still a trifle restrained, needing more time in the bottle. A fine wine of great potential. Drink 2021 - 2033."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 95 points 

Awards

James Halliday Top 100 Wines of 2019
Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 

About the winery

Tolpuddle Vineyard was established in 1988 by Bill Casimaty, Gary Crittenden and Tony Jordan and it took its name from the Tolpuddle Martyrs: English convicts transported to Tasmania for forming an agricultural union. The leader of the Martyrs, George Loveless, served some of his sentence working on a property near Richmond, part of which is now Tolpuddle Vineyard. The vineyard is planted with mature Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, facing north-east, and sloping gently up from Back Tea Tree Road. The soil is light silica over sandstone and of moderate vigour, ensuring well-balanced vines producing grapes of great flavour and intensity. 

Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW (Shaw & Smith) purchased the vineyard in 2011 after a look-and-see jaunt to Tasmania when they became smitten by Tolpuddle's Coal Valley location and mature vines, planted only to pinot noir and chardonnay. They are fully committed to seeing Tolpuddle Vineyard recognised as one of Australia's great single vineyards. 

In barely a decade, Tolpuddle has established itself as one of the country's top producers. It produces wines of blistering precision and finesse which have received rave critical acclaim. They are highly sought-after and are some of the finest examples of chardonnay and pinot noir that can be found anywhere on the Apple Isle.