Fergus McGhie review: Tolpuddle 2013 Pinot Noir, Tasmania

Tolpuddle 2013 Pinot Noir, Coal River Valley Tasmania $75

Tasmania is where it's at right now. In fact it's probably been where it's at for some time, it's just that in the land of wine a proven track record adds credence to any claim and to be fair, wine growing in Tasmania is a relatively recent thing as far as I know.

There seems to be some very good evidence that pinot noir works in Tasmania. I've had some excellent examples recently, most notably, Chatto, Stargazer and Tolpuddle. It's the latter that's on my mind today.

The 2012 was a pretty fine wine but the 2013 is definitely a step up. Softer, more plush fruit is the big difference. This is a pinot of concentration and juicy plump red berry pinot flavours. There's some delicious forest savour in the mix, wood smoke, tar, bracken but all of these delicious complex notes take a back seat to the pure fruit at the wine's core. For pinot noir lovers, this is a wine that should be on your shopping list. Keep an eye out for future vintages too, I've a feeling the Tolpuddle pinot will reach greater heights yet.

Fergus McGhie is sales and marketing manager at Mount Majura Vineyard in Canberra.