Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020

James Suckling Top 100 Wines of Australia 2021
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections of  2022

Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW (Shaw & Smith) purchased the vineyard in 2011after 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.  

"There is real concentration and substantial oak here and it appreciates time in the glass to unfold its flavours and aromas, which are superb. It's a baby today and I would hope for a patient audience. The palate really sorts itself out with a little airing time. Tremendous drive, energy and length. A great wine in the making."  Huon Hooke

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 has gorgeous aromatics with violets and red berries to the fore. There is abundant fruit, with sour cherry, raspberry, blueberry,  and a touch of rhubarb. Underlying savoury characters include graphite and cured meat, and some toasted spices. Medium weight, with very fine tannins. Fresh and enticing, perfumed and delicious.

All hand-picked fruit is fermented as a combination of 40% whole bunches and the remainder whole berries, in open fermenters, with gentle plunging. The wine is then aged in French barrique for ten months, of which about one third was new. " Tolpuddle 

Expert reviews

"This is a wine we have not yet seen from Tolpuddle. It has such well-curated complexity and whole-bunch influence (40%) sits in the sweet spot. It is concentrated, yet so elegant and the vivid freshness that pervades every aspect of the nose and palate is striking. Aromas of red fruit, such as raspberry, strawberry, red cherry and red plum are framed in spice and fragrance. The palate has such impressive definition and clarity and the tannins are so detailed, fine and clear-cut. Concentrated red and darker cherries are fleshy, yet elegantly focused, and the acidity laces it all up so clearly. So drinkable now and for a decade at least. 10/2021."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 99 points and Top 100 Wines of Australia 2021

"Deep red/purple colour, quite dark for an Aussie pinot and very youthful. There are powerful meaty, smoky and five-spice savoury aromas; definite touches of smoky-bacon and charcuterie. The palate has a touch of firmness in its tannins and is a little uneven in its flow at first. There is real concentration and substantial oak here and it appreciates time in the glass to unfold its flavours and aromas, which are superb. It's a baby today and I would hope for a patient audience. The palate really sorts itself out with a little airing time. I'd cellar it for at least a year for full satisfaction. Tremendous drive, energy and length. A great wine in the making.31 Oct 2021. Drink: 2023–2035."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review – 98 points 

"The best Pinot Noir offering yet from this esteemed estate. Seductive aromas of bright red cherry and raspberry then a vibrant array of black fruits on the palate with lively spice and a velvety texture of real power and purpose. The seamless structure is sustained by an unwavering acid line that carries each element with grace and poise. A complete package. 5/2022."  Decanter - 98 points

"A captivating almost beguiling bouquet with a complex set of aromas showcasing site and time as well as fresh youthful, primary aromas of raspberry and crushed red cherry, savoury spices, dried herb, fine oak layers and a core of earthy minerality. Fantastic on the palate - dry, intense, salty, youthful and fruity with berry flavours that mirror the bouquet, crunchy fresh acid line and layers of wood spice. Chalky tannins and layers of finely selected oak deliver a sound foundation. I strongly recommend you discover this wine soon."  Cameron Douglas - 97 points

"The 2020 Pinot Noir is simply gorgeous. This is a beautiful wine. It's fine-boned and spicy, with sandalwood and myrrh, star anise and brine, layers of Szechuan peppercorns and pomegranate essence. Black cherry kirsch, licorice, a hint of arnica, raspberry seed and a curve of phenolics flow across the palate. What a beauty. Balanced, silky and flowing, it's long and structured. Drink: 2022-2040."  Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 96 points

"Benchmark sit meets winemaking wizardry. Even with higher than normal acidity in this cool harvest, there is a wonderfully effortless grace to this vintage. The exotic, floral mood of whole bunches harmonises seamlessly with deep set spice and berry fruits of all kinds. Powder-fine tannins complete a stunning finish that holds long and undeviating."  Tyson Stelzer, Australian Wine Business Monthly - 96 points

"From Tasmania's Coal River Valley and from nearly 35-year-old vines, Tolpuddle has become one of Australia's most renowned single vineyards. The style is Burgundy-meets-New World, and cellaring is expected. This vintage is highly aromatic: A vineyard floor-like reduction is tangled up with layers of brambly currants, wild blueberries and black cherries, dark chocolate and a wallop of savory, spiced meat and mushroom. The palate is concentrated, with polished, if somewhat, drying tannins. Flavors are tightly wound and oak is on display, but this should age with grace until the late 2030s, at least."  Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast – 94 points and Top 100 Cellar Selections of  2022

"Yes. Lovely pinot noir. Beautiful. Inherently complex but juicy and floral. Laced with bunchy, smoky, undergrowth-y herb notes. Rippled with cranberry, strawberry, rhubarb and red cherry fruit. Nothing too dark or brooding but nor is it light or tart. It has will-develop-gorgeously written all over it. The tannin is fine too, dusty almost, spice-drenched, complex in itself. Dust. I kept coming back to that word. It's perfumed and dusty and everything in between. There's a herbal bitterness picking out the aftertaste. It's that kind of wine. Savoury, herbal, nuance-y. Drink : 2023 - 2028+."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 94 points

Awards

Top 100 Wines of Australia 2021 - James Suckling
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections of  2022

About the winery

Tolpuddle Vineyard was established in 1988by 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.

The following text is taken from an article by Jasper Morris that appeared in Inside Burgundy

What began as reconnaissance for Shaw and Hill Smith back in 2011 quickly metamorphosed into profound intrigue thanks in large part to a dinner with industry friends. In this case, it was at the Launceston institution of Stillwater in northern Tasmania with Andrew Pirie – a legend of Tasmanian wine – and veteran winemaker Peter Dawson. The ever-academic Pirie referred to his laptop as he apprised the table of Tasmania’s climatic mapping and data. This was critical information as it informed the pair of just how dry the Coal River Valley was, having made the common assumption that cool equalled wet. The combination of cool and dry added to the allure on account of the long ripening period with slow flavour development and low disease pressure during the growing season. Following some good bottles over dinner, including several from Tasmania, Dawson piqued further interest by declaring that "Tasmania would be making Australia’s best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir within the next decade". 

"We’ve got to have this" were the collective words uttered by cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW upon entry to the Tolpuddle Vineyard site in 2011. The intangible knowing. The feeling in the bones. But what led them down the right path? "We had no intention of buying a vineyard", says Shaw 14 years on as we amble the long, even, north-east facing slope. It’s an idyllic and resplendent blue sky day in the Coal River Valley, around 30 minutes’ drive north east of Hobart. And despite the moderate 25 degree heat, there’s a bite to the bright sunshine on account of the clear skies, low humidity and high UV of southern Tasmania.

Shaw’s casual utterance speaks to the impulsive and serendipitous nature of their Tolpuddle Vineyard purchase, and it’s difficult to fathom how easily it could’ve been missed given the indelible mark it’s made on Tasmanian – indeed Australian – wine.  This was during a time when Tasmanian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir was starting to make waves on the Australian wine media circuit, such that it prompted a reconnaissance trip south from the Shaw + Smith stables in the Adelaide Hills where the two had risen to vinous fame. 

"The Coal River Valley is cold but dry", continues Shaw, "it’s cooler than Burgundy but warmer than Champagne". The dryness is evident. There’s been little rain in the Valley for months now which is normal given Tasmania’s winter-dominant rainfall. However, this is compounded in the Coal River Valley by a rain shadow effect thanks to the mountains to the west, making it one of the driest regions on the island.

Further visits ensued, including a pivotal one to Accolade-owned Bay of Fires, where then-winemaker Peter Dredge presented barrel samples from vineyards across Tasmania that supplied fruit to Accolade. The wines that excited the pair most came from the Tolpuddle Vineyard which Accolade were using for premium offerings such as Eileen Hardy Chardonnay and House of Arras sparkling wines. The culmination of this was the all-important visit to the site that captured the two so viscerally.

The potential for greatness in a table wine capacity was evident to Shaw and Hill Smith – the forest above, the water below, the long and even Burgundian-like slope in between. What’s more, the valley’s cool climate provided insulation from the looming threats of global warming. With their eyes squarely on the prize, the two set about negotiating acquisition of a site not for sale and – spoiler alert – were quick to succeed. But changes were required to take the site in the desired direction. Certain sparkling-specific clones were replaced with more suitable alternatives, pruning was changed from spur to cane, drainage was improved, frost protection was implemented via a new dam (after having been assured frost wasn’t part of the program!) and mid-row soil was ripped to alleviate compaction. With soils made up of light silica over sandstone, water retention is poor, so composting was implemented upon taking over the site along with undervine clover to keep things cool and assist in holding moisture - critical in this dry terroir. Following further plantings, the vineyard is now 31 hectares with an approximate 50/50 split between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Around the time of the Tolpuddle Vineyard purchase, Shaw and Hill Smith had been trying to entice star winemaker Adam Wadewitz to join the Shaw + Smith team. Wadewitz was winemaker at Best’s Great Western in Victoria at the time, and it was the prospect of working with fruit from the Tolpuddle Vineyard that is said to have sealed the deal. With the inaugural 2012 wines made by Martin Shaw, Wadewitz took over from the 2013 vintage and has excelled with the site ever since.

The Chardonnay is whole bunch pressed, fermented in French barriques and generally sees 100% malolactic fermentation given the bracing southern-Tasmanian acidity. It then spends nine or ten months in barrel with around 30% new. Pinot Noir sees around 30% to 40% whole bunch and around ten months in barriques with 30-35% of it new.