2025 Tolpuddle Vineyard - Pinot Noir Coal River Valley (750ml)

Tolpuddle Vineyard was planted in 1988 in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley and takes its name from the Tolpuddle Martyrs, English agricultural unionists transported to Australia in the 1830s. Cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW bought it in 2011 after a Tasmanian road trip, finding that the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays they loved most all came from this site.

The 20 hectare, northeast facing vineyard sits in a rain shadow with low rainfall and cool, dry conditions, on light silica over sandstone, a soil of moderate vigor. The 2025 season brought solid winter rain, a clean flowering and a mild summer. Fruit travels to the Shaw + Smith winery in the Adelaide Hills, where it is made with low-intervention methods.

This Coal River Valley Pinot Noir opens with immediate perfume of ripe raspberry, mashed strawberry, nutmeg and clove, with dried violets and a hint of earthy beetroot. The palate shows volume and fruit power, velvety texture and lively acidity, with chalky, firm tannins giving structure and length. Cohesive and harmonious even in youth, it pairs well with crispy-skin duck breast.