Tolpuddle
Tolpuddle is a Mattinson 10-Star Winery — Campbell Mattinson's highest honour.
A single Coal River Valley vineyard, making only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir — and, since its first release in 2012, one of the fastest rises in Australian wine.
Twenty hectares of mature Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, on a slope at Richmond in the Coal River Valley of Tasmania, in a climate boasting the dynamic combination of both cold and dry. These are the bare bones of a modern Australian wine legend.
The case.
Keep it brief, keep it great. The Tolpuddle Vineyard and winery produces single vineyard chardonnay, and single vineyard pinot noir, from the Coal River Valley in southern Tasmania, and that’s all it does. It does both beautifully, and to exacting standards. Indeed it produces wine of such standard that its Pinot Noir is expected to soon become Australia’s Most Collected Pinot Noir. Given that 2012 was Tolpuddle’s first (small) release, this has to be one of the fastest ever rises to the upper echelons of Australian wine in the history of Australian wine collecting. Tolpuddle will go from a non-existent brand to the top of the Australian Pinot Noir collecting tree in just fifteen or so years. Tolpuddle is no ordinary wine producer.
The whole thing has happened in a flash, and for all the right reasons. The ascent of the wines in the market is one thing; the endeavour itself, another. Michael Hill-Smith and Martin Shaw – the same duo behind Shaw + Smith – travelled to Tasmania, not long prior to 2012, simply to see what the fuss over Tasmanian wine was all about. They weren’t there to buy; they had no plans. They were in Tasmania as much as wine enthusiasts as they were as wine proprietors. But on day two of this first Tasmanian trip – day two – they drove into the Tolpuddle vineyard (which wasn’t even for sale) for the first time, and fell in love with the place, instantly. It was a vineyard, planted in 1998, that had been done proper from the start: Tony Jordan, Bill Casimaty and Gary Crittenden, all wine industry notables, had helped establish it. Ever since, via the structured, scented wines this vineyard grows, wine drinkers have been falling in love with this place anew, from afar.
The wines that carry the case.
Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2024 (Tasmania): It’s polished and harmonious but everything is emphatic here. It’s a super release.
Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024 (Tasmania): Tension, texture, drive, length, the works.
Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 (Tasmania): This gets down to business in no uncertain terms. It shows citrus and pineapple characters as flashes but its heart is all stonefruit, yellow apple, flint and smoked cedarwood. The effect is powerful, the persona is elegant.
See more [All vintages of Tolpuddle Chardonnay reviewed on The Winefront].
See more Tolpuddle Pinot Noir reviews on The Winefront].
See more [Tolpuddle Pinot Noir is expected to become Australia’s most collected Pinot Noir]
