Tomboy Hill Smythes Creek Pinot Noir 2006
Style: Red Wine
Closure: Screwcap
Tomboy Hill Smythes Creek Pinot Noir 2006
Camberwell
Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia
Producer: Tomboy Hill
Country: Australia
Region: Ballarat
Vintage: 2006
Critic Score: 95
Alcohol: 13.3%
Size: 750 ml
Drink by: Now
"Tomboy Hill is renowned for its exciting range of single-vineyard wines sourced from small vineyards around Ballarat." Huon Hooke
Tomboy Hill is a tiny vineyard in Ballarat planted in 1984 by former schoolteacher Ian Watson. Only chardonnay and pinot noir are grown and are planted in the Burgundian mode - 1m x 1.2m grid and low-trellised. In addition, fruit is sourced from five other select vineyards in the Ballarat Goldfields district. The 'Rebellion' label is a blend of fruit from all the vineyards. In 2006, Tomboy Hill produced two single vineyard wines, a Smythe's Creek Pinot Noir and a Garibaldi Farm Chardonnay.
"Also (like the Tomboy Hill Rebellion pinot Noir) has elements of spice, mint and stem on the bouquet, but on the equally intense and very long palate the red cherry, strawberry and raspberry fruits are in abundance." James Halliday
Expert reviews
"Also (like the Tomboy Hill Rebellion pinot Noir) has elements of spice, mint and stem on the bouquet, but on the equally intense and very long palate the red cherry, strawberry and raspberry fruits are in abundance. 13.3º alc. Drink Now - 2015." James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points
About the winery
Ian Watson at his Tomboy Hill winery
Tomboy Hill is a tiny vineyard in Ballarat planted in 1984 by former schoolteacher Ian Watson. The vineyard is within viewing distance of the Eureka Rebellion site. The vineyard is planted in the Burgundian mode (1m x 1.2m grid and low-trellised) and is still, by necessity, hand-pruned, hand-sprayed and hand-picked. Ballarat's climatic similarities with Burgundy influence the mode of viticulture and wine-making, with only chardonnay and pinot noir being grown. In addition, fruit is sourced from five other select vineyards owned by small growers in the Ballarat Goldfields district. These vineyards are located at Smythe's Creek, Rokewood Junction, Garibaldi Farm, Scotsburn and Coghill's Creek.
Single vineyard wines are produced in years in which the quality is sufficiently high. Tomboy Hill's chardonnay and pinot noir wines under the 'Rebellion' label are blends from all the vineyards. The sheer quality of all the wines makes one wonder, with global warming an almost certainty, if the Ballarat region will be Australia's answer to Burgundy in the coming years.
Victoria
Victoria is home to more than 800 wineries across 21 wine regions. The regions are Alpine Valley, Beechworth, Bendigo, Geelong, Gippsland, Glenrowan, Goulburn Valley, Grampians, Heathcote, Henty, King Valley, Macedon Ranges, Mornington Peninsula, Murray Darling, Pyrenees, Rutherglen, Strathbogie Ranges, Sunbury, Swan Hill, Upper Goulburn and Yarra Valley.
Victoria's first vines were planted at Yering in the Yarra Valley in 1838. By 1868 over 3,000 acres had been planted in Victoria, establishing Victoria as the premier wine State of the day. Today, the original vineyards planted at Best's Wines are among the oldest and rarest pre-phylloxera plantings in the world.
Victoria's climate varies from hot and dry in the north to cool in the south and each wine region specialises in different varietals. For example, Rutherglen in the north is famous for its opulent Muscats and Topaque and bold reds, while the many cooler climate regions near Melbourne produce world class Chardonnay and pinot Noir. Victoria is truly a wine lover's playground.