Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Tyson Stelzer Top 250 Australian Wines of 2024

Tolpuddle Vineyard is making arguably the greatest pinot noir in Australia."  James Suckling

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. 

"This wine was recently shown by a respected Clare Valley winemaker at an options game, and it looked superb. It's so clearly like Tasmanian Pinot Noir fruit but powerful, balanced and sapid in its execution of flavor delivery. It's saturated, in fact. When it was revealed as being the Tolpuddle 2023 Pinot Noir, there were cries around the room of "of course!" and "wow!". This is an enduring wine of sophistication and long-term aesthetic value."  Erin Larkin

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

"Intensely aromatic, a darker fruit spectrum and complex savoury spice is interwoven
seamlessly with firm, structural tannin. Fruit density and depth of flavour reflect the cool
season. This wine is not without the bright, aromatic freshness we expect from cool climate pinot noir. Aged for 10 months in French oak, of which one-third was new."  Tolpuddle

Expert reviews

"Deep red-purple, bright and clear colour; superb rich ripe black cherry fragrance with a kiss of smoky oak, the palate remarkably full and rich, smooth and fleshy with excellent texture and immediate drinking appeal, although it has the legs to age well too. Serious structure, but also succulent, sweet and plush - almost too much of a good thing. Outstanding pinot noir. Drink 2025-2038."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 97 points

"Medium deep. Lovely pure dark cherry, negroni, herb garden, star anise aromas with hints of marzipan. Sweet supple dark cherry pastille, strawberry fruits, loose knit lacy/ al dente textures, lovely mid palate volume and underlying marzipan roasted chestnut/ herb garden notes. Sappy notes build up to the finish. This is an exceptionally enjoyable and characterful wine, highlighting a classic vineyard site and cracking good winemaking. Will keep and develop, but drink now or soon."  Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal - 97 points

"This wine was recently shown by a respected Clare Valley winemaker at an options game, and it looked superb. It's so clearly like Tasmanian Pinot Noir fruit but powerful, balanced and sapid in its execution of flavor delivery. It's saturated, in fact. When it was revealed as being the Tolpuddle 2023 Pinot Noir, there were cries around the room of "of course!" and "wow!" To me on that evening, I was particularly impressed by the integration of the whole-bunch component, as I occasionally feel that the use of bunches in this wine can border on overt. In this 2023 iteration, it is clearly evident, but it sits within the confines of the pomegranate/cherry/raspberry fruit with aplomb. Providing further depth of character, a backdrop of star anise, blood orange, coffee grounds, lilac and red apples drive across the palate. This is an enduring wine of sophistication and long-term aesthetic value. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink: 2024-2038."  Erin Larkin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate – 96 points

"A cooler vintage for Tolpuddle with some hen and chicken and lighter bunches due to a wetter-than-normal spring, before excellent ripening conditions for the remainder of the growing season. When compared to the '22 release there is a little more concentration on display. Vibrant, magenta-splashed ruby in the glass with aromas of dark cherry, plum and blackberry fruits with hints of crushed herbs, softly spoken vanillin oak, raspberry coulis, charcuterie board, purple flowers, bay leaf and stone. Rich and flowy with spice, herbal and floral tendrils weaving through the pure base layers of dark fruits. Textural and harmonious with finely crushed riverstone tannins and mineral line providing support and cadence. Another cracking release from Tolpuddle. Drink by 2028."  Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points

"Deeply perfumed and floral, with aromas of wild blackberries, mulberry bush, violets and wet bark. The palate is finely tuned with seamless tannins, bright acidity and a creamy texture, giving notes of dark cherries, graphite, boysenberries, spices and rose petals. High tension with a savory edge. Incredibly well balanced. Drink or hold. Screw cap."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 96 points and Top 250 Australian Wines of 2024

"This vintage strikes out again with surprise and intrigue, just when you think the S+S winemaking team have got the recipe right, the vineyard shows you another side entirely. Here it’s a witches brew of jarred and dried aromatics. Blackberries, dark cherries, juniper and sloe berries. A bouquet of garrigue herbs, pine and poppy seed. There is a harmony between the dark fruit and ripe herbal notes. It’s a different shape entirely than what’s come before it and I’m feelin’ it. Savoury oak tannins support the woodsy style of black fruit. It’s a very tailored wine and has found a nice balance in a very cool vintage. Striking harmony between spice, cassis and oak. A hint of medicinal, and luxurious almost syrupy in its richness on the palate. Serious stuff. This would be ideal with pink lamb and chermoula."  Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot - 95 points

"There’s something that feels essentially pinot about this wine. It’s the inlay of mineral and graphite amid the undergrowth and spice notes, all of which are part of the general wash of black cherry. It’s a silken release, of medium intensity, with fine-grained tannin and an impressive push of complex flavour through the finish. This wine’s earthen/undergrowth aspect is both well played, and a key feature. There’s no real x-factor to this release but everything does feel in excellent order. Drink: 2025-2035."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front – 94 points

Awards

Tyson Stelzer Top 250 Australian Wines of 2024

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.