Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023 (1500ml)

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

"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

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.