Devilish taste of Tassie pinot noir creates wine hot spot

As we know, our wine club president is a keen admirer of pinot noir, making Tasmania an obvious choice.

Such has been its success in recent years, the Apple Isle should be rebadged as Australia’s “pinot isle”. Take the prestigious Australian Pinot Noir Challenge as an example: a Tasmanian pinot noir has won the competition in five of the past six years.

The Australian Wine Club is delving into the charming world of Tasmanian wine, offering our first-ever mixed dozen focused purely on pinot noir from this fast-growing cool-climate region.

It’s a selection that brings together four super-drinkable pinot from Tamar Valley, the island’s oldest winegrowing region, in a collection that features pioneering wine names such as Josef Chromy and Holm Oak, which have been at the forefront of Tasmania’s rise over the past 20 years.

Two of our selections also feature famous names on the label, for very different reasons.

Ricky Ponting, the former Test cricket captain who is now building his own family wine label, grew up in Launceston, only a short drive from Tamar Valley. A fresh new vintage of his aptly named Mowbray Boy pinot noir is in our dozen, a wine that has already scored gold medal results on the show circuit.

The second well-known name is Richard Angove, the fifth generation of his family to preside over one of Australia’s longest-running wine businesses.

Angove Family Winemakers made its name over the past 139 years on the back of bold South Australian shiraz. The company, under Richard’s watch, has branched into Tasmania in recent years and offers its 94-point Lost Farm Tasmania Pinot Noir 2023 to our mixed dozen.

Richard says he saw the beauty of the Tamar Valley vineyards first-hand while working as a nightshift winemaker for the highly regarded Tamar Ridge winery in 2008.

At the time, though, the Tasmanian wine industry was still relatively small, and good grapes were tightly held. It wasn’t until 2018 that Richard was able to source 10 tonnes of Tamar pinot through close friend Jeremy Dineen, the former chief winemaker at Josef Chromy Wines and co-founder of Haddow + Dineen.

The Angove team has been able to turn Richard’s 2018 experiment into a consistent high-quality offering, with fruit for the Lost Farm pinot nowadays sourced primarily from the Glenbothy Vineyard, situated on a northeast-facing slope of dark volcanic loam in Tamar.

A small second vineyard on rich Biscay clay soils contributes brighter fruit characters, enhancing the wine’s complexity and depth.

“I just love the purity and vibrancy of the fruit produced in Tamar when you get it right,’’ Richard says. “Glenbothy’s northeast aspect means the vines benefit from the warm morning sun and are able to produce grapes with lovely ripeness, pristine purity and bright natural acidity.’’

He says Tasmania’s growing status as a winemaking region – its sparkling wines have also won prestigious awards on the global circuit, even out-rating Champagne in some competitions – is well timed as more wine lovers are seeking out lighter, more delicate red wines such as pinot noir.

But, he adds, as production volumes in the state increase – from a crush of 12,390 tonnes in 2023 to 23,002 tonnes this year – developing export markets will become crucial.

Jeremy Dineen, a born-and-bred Tasmanian, says one of the keys to the state’s viticulture is its cold climate which creates a “long ripening season that gives beautiful, elegant, delicate flavours”. He says there’s also “a real concentration in purity and in acidity that gives the backbone and life to these wines that is unlike anywhere else in this country”.

Lost Farm Tasmania Pinot Noir 2023

Inviting aromas of red cherries, wild strawberries and raspberries mingle with hints of spice and subtle oak. Silky palate with pure fruits woven together with savoury nuances. Soft tannins carry through to a long, elegant finish. Excellent value here. 94 points, Melbourne International Wine Show; 93 points Halliday Wine Companion. 13.5% alc; RRP$48.

SPECIALS $41.99 in any dozen; $31.99 in Tasmanian pinot noir dozen.

Josef Chromy Marchington Tasmania Pinot Noir 2024

Josef Chromy’s affinity with Tasmania began as a 19-year-old fleeing war-ravaged Czechoslovakia in 1950 with nothing more than a suitcase and a master diploma in meat technology. He turned this into a hugely successful business empire across food, property and, later, wine. His eponymous wine label began in 2007 and in its first four years alone hauled in 14 trophies and 170 medals. This delicate Tamar pinot offers lifted scents of rose, cherries and pomegranate, along with fresh herbs and sweet spice. Juby fruits on the palate, soft tannins and crunchy acidity. 13.5% alc; RRP $40.

SPECIALS $35.99 in any dozen; $31.99 in Tasmanian pinot noir dozen.

Holm Oak The Protege Tasmania Pinot Noir 2024

From another highly decorated Tamar Valley winery, established by winemaker Bec Duffy and her husband, viticulturist Tim Duffy, in 2006. Classic pinot nose of raspberries, strawberries, forest floor and hints of mushroom. Palate is juicy and fruit-driven; red berries and cranberry. Tannins are firm but there’s plenty of fruit and bright acidity to create good balance. 92 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 13% alc; RRP $32.

SPECIALS $29.99 in any dozen; $31.99 in Tasmanian pinot noir dozen.

Ponting Mowbray Boy Tasmania Pinot Noir 2025

Ricky Ponting wears his blue-collar Mowbray upbringing with pride. Newly released, the 2025 was crafted by Ben Riggs, who oversees the Ponting wine venture. You’ll find fresh strawberries, cherries and rhubarb on the nose leading to a juicy red-fruited palate, with hints of rose, and savoury spice. Balanced tannins and a refreshing line of minerality. High-quality winemaking. 93 points, Wine Orbit. 13% alc; RRP $38.

SPECIALS $36.99 in any dozen; $31.99 in Tasmanian pinot noir dozen.

TASMANIAN PINOT DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $31.99 a bottle. SAVE $90.

Order online or phone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST and quote ‘ACCJ’. 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.