Tolpuddle Vineyard, Coal River Valley Chardonnay

In 2011, Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW embarked upon an eventful road trip in Tasmania, culminating with the purchase of Tolpuddle Vineyard. During the trip, they asked famed local winemaker Peter Dredge to organise a tasting of Tasmania’s best wines and quickly discovered their favourites came from the Tolpuddle Vineyard. Before their trip was through, the duo became the proud owners of a vineyard that would continue to define fine Tasmanian winemaking.

Based in the Coal River Valley, Tolpuddle Vineyard was planted in 1988 by industry legends Tony Jordan and Garry Crittenden. The vineyard takes its name from the Tolpuddle Martyrs, who were exiled to Australia in 1834 for starting an agrarian union in Tolpuddle in Dorset. The group leader, George Loveless, served some of his sentence working on a property near Richmond called GlenAyr, part of which is now the Tolpuddle Vineyard. A combination of its north-facing aspect, and positioning within a rain shadow, ensures the vineyard remains cool and dry throughout the growing season, minimising disease pressure and helping achieve optimal ripeness. Alongside talented winemaker, Adam Wadewitz and viticulturist Murray Leake, Michael and Martin have spent the past decade using the lessons learned in the Adelaide Hills to replant and re-trellis this outstanding site to produce better and better wines.

The Chardonnay is a wine of finesse and poise, with delicate flavours of lime, green apple peel and a savoury biscuit note. The Pinot Noir is floral and aromatic with great depth, soft and grainy tannins, and a surprising underlying power. They are a masterclass in Tasmanian fine winemaking.