A Tassie pinot noir inspired by battle to save vineyard from urban sprawl

If the focus of most winemakers is the present and the future of their grapes, for some the weight of history is just as powerful an influence.

“I feel the pressure daily,” Richard Angove says with a slightly rueful laugh. The joint managing director of the eponymous winemaker has constant reminders of the 136-year lineage of his family firm’s history.

Now in its fifth generation of family leadership, Angove Family Winemakers’s 2023 Lost Farm Tasmanian Pinot Noir is one of a quartet of pinots making up this week’s special offer case from The Australian Wine Club.

The case’s thoughtful curation means there are four discrete interpretations of the pinot style – in the Angove iteration, showcasing the vibrancy and freshness of Tasmanian grapes that first enticed Richard to broaden the Angove range six years ago.

Angove’s Lost Farm label marked both a new frontier for the South Australian family business, moving into Tasmanian wine for the first time, but its name was also a significant nod to history.

Half a century ago, the South Australian government compulsorily acquired prime viticultural land, including Angove’s first vineyard, in order to build a new suburb of Adelaide. Richard’s grandfather fought it all the way, but unsuccessfully.

“The story is that my grandfather came back from the Supreme Court afterwards and he went down to the warehouse and was just kicking the dirt around. He said to the guys, ‘Well, looks like we’re finished here.’

“And we were. Some of those vineyards to the northeast of Adelaide were great growing country. Penfolds had beautiful vineyards, some of the original Penfold Granges from the 1950s had fruit sourced from those vineyards.

“And now it’s a beautiful suburb of Adelaide!”

If anything, though, that family lore showed Richard Angove the need both to consolidate the South Australian wines so synonymous with the Angove name, but also to find ways – and places – in which to evolve.

“My first job out of university was in Los Carneros in southern Napa, which is really lovely chardonnay and pinot noir growing country,” says Richard who was appointed joint managing director with his sister Katherine in 2017.

“I also worked in Tasmania in 2008 and had seen the beauty of the Tamar Valley vineyards and the wines that they can produce. Fast forward 10 years and I had the opportunity to get my hands on a couple of small parcels of fruit.

“With everything there comes opportunity and I wouldn’t have the opportunities that I’ve had without a long-term history of the family being in the wine industry.

“There’s always a nod to the previous generations that have invested so much of their time and energy, to give us the opportunity to make the best tasting wines that we can every vintage.”

Lost Farm Tasmania Pinot Noir 2023

A textbook Tassie pinot, this gives off a cloud of reddish fruit on the nose – but tapered by an earthiness, with hints of mushroom that deepen the complexity. No surprise then that more cherry and raspberry notes in the mouth play nicely with fresh acidity and some silky tannins to reach a food-friendly, savoury finish. 13.5% alc, RRP $48 a bottle.

SPECIALS $41.99 a bottle in any mixed case, $29.99 a bottle in our pinot noir case.

Coppabella Single Vineyard Tumbarumba Pinot Noir 2022

There’s so much fruit to enjoy in this gold-medal winner, a juicy mix of cherry and raspberry on the nose underpinned by a floral perfume which invites that first mouthful. More of that lovely fruit follows on the palate, but flecked with hints of aniseed and guided by soft but structural tannins and a clean finish. 13% alc, RRP $35 a bottle.

SPECIALS $29.99 a bottle in any mixed case, $29.99 a bottle in our pinot noir case.

Pinot Noir d’Soumah Yarra Valley 2022

The mood music turns slightly more serious with the first sniff of this Victorian pinot, with some smoky notes and oak touches complementing the raspberry and cherry aromas that you’d expect. On the tongue there’s a zip of redcurrant in the berry mix, adding to a mouth-filling weight that would love to join you on a picnic. 13.5% alc, RRP $36 a bottle.

SPECIALS $31.99 a bottle in any mixed case, $29.99 a bottle in our pinot noir case.

Wine Unplugged Pacha Mama Pinot Noir 2022

In some ways the liveliest of the four wines, created from 20-year-old vines in the subregion of Gladysvale in the Upper Yarra Valley. Opens with savoury aromas offering smoky notes and leather – though of course there are red fruits aplenty too. More initial savouriness follows in the mouth, before the fruitiness makes itself known hand-in-hand with crisp acidity. The lingering finish just adds to the beguilement. 12.6% alc, RRP $40 a bottle.

SPECIALS $34.99 a bottle in any mixed case, $29.99 a bottle in our pinot noir case.

PINOT NOIR DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $29.99 a bottle. SAVE $117.

Order by simply clicking the links to our online store or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550. Stockhead is partnering with The Australian Wine Club on this offer.