For many wine enthusiasts (especially in Europe) the Pinot Noir grape is the supreme discipline. It is cultivated as a quality wine variety in the cooler wine-growing regions in Burgundy, the southern parts of Germany, Austria, Eastern Switzerland, Italy and Australia/ New Zealand. In Australia, the prime spots for Pinot Noir are the Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley, wine-growing regions in Victoria and – of course – Tasmania.

Since Pinot Noir is much less robust than Syrah/ Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon and also heavily depends on the terroir (soil property and micro-climate), it is very sensitive to spikes or larger deviations from the “feel-good” norm.

In other words, the thin-walled vines require intensive care and tend to tolerate less well fluctuations in heat and cold.

On the nose, a Pinot Noir often has the scent of berries and varietal expressions (grass, flowers, almonds, tobacco). Worldwide, Pinot Noir is the most important component for champagne and champagne-like wines (in Australia called Sparkling wines).

An excellent example of a high-quality producer of Pinot Noir is the Tolpuddle Vineyard in the Coal River Valley/ Tasmania, which has won countless prizes (including the best winery in Tasmania) in the past ten years since it has been part of Shaw + Smith.

And best of all, you can find out for yourself and order this flagship Tolpuddle Pinot Noir since we have a (very) limited amount of the last three vintages 2016, 2017 and 2018 (soon also 2020) available at WDP.