2017 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay
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TOLPUDDLE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2017 PICKS UP FOUR MAJOR TROPHIES AT THE 2018 ROYAL MELBOURNE WINE AWARDS
Three Trophies 2018 Royal Melbourne Wine Show:
Best Chardonnay,
Best Single Vineyard Wine,
Best Young White
One of Australia’s most renowned single vineyard wines, Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2017, has picked up four major trophies at the prestigious 2018 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards announced last night: Douglas Seabrook Trophy for Best Single Vineyard Wine, Francois de Castella Trophy for Best Young White Wine, Chardonnay of Show as well as Carlos Souris, Tolpuddle Vineyard Manager, has been awarded the Kym Ludvigsen Trophy for Viticultural Excellence.
The Tolpuddle Vineyard, located in the Coal River Valley just 20 minutes from Hobart, has previously won the inaugural Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year award, in 2006. It’s planted solely to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and was first established in 1988.
The 2017 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay is in true Tolpuddle style, fine and precise with firm acidity and a combination of lightness of texture and intensity of flavour. The 2017 vintage was defined by concentration paired with high natural acidity, it reflects a wonderful growing season and the results of detailed work done in the vineyard, thanks to Souris and his team.
Winemaker Adam Wadewitz said: “I guess we always knew that the 2017 vintage was pretty special in Tasmania. The season was astonishing; late and cool, and it produced wines with that rarely seen ‘balance and intensity’ combination. What else is there to say except that we are rapt with the result and can’t wait to celebrate with the team.”
Tolpuddle Vineyard manager Carlos Souris said: “Hats off to Martin and Michael for recognising Tolpuddle Vineyard for what it is: a truly distinguished site. I’m proud to be its custodian and humbled to receive this award.”
============ (Added by srh):
From vines, planted in 1988, "on a gentle slope, NE facing. The soil is light silica sands over sandstone, & of moderate vigour. The grapes were all hand picked, whole bunch pressed, & fermented in FR oak (225 & 500 L, new – 3 yrs old) with 20% malolactic [per Winebow, the U.S. Distributor]. The wine spent 9 mos in barrel with gentle stirring as required, then rested in tank on lees, ff’d by 8 mos of bottle aging. 13.0% ABV, 0.4 g/L R.S., 7.5 g/L T.A., & 3.1 pH;" 150 cases imported to the U.S.
98 pts ea James Halliday (9/10/18, + in his Top 100 for '18) & Decanter (Sarah Ahmed, 3/5/19),
97 Suckling,
95 ea Gary Walsh (11/13/18), Jeremy Oliver (1/’18), Huon Hooke, & Gourmet Traveller Wine (9/18),
93 WA,
92 WS, and
17.5/20 (Harding, 6/22/19) + 17/20 (Jancis 2x: 5/14 & 10/30/19) from JancisRobinson.com !