Tasmania Archives - Young Gun of Wine

Sailor Seeks Horse Vineyard, Huon Valley, Tasmania

Tucked into into a steep, sandy slope at Cradoc in Tasmania’s cool Huon Valley, Sailor Seeks Horse spans eight hectares planted in 2005–2018 on sandstone-derived Permian mudstone. This steep, nutrient-lean site – just warm enough to ripen pinot noir, chardonnay, trousseau, and chenin blanc – relies on dry farming for deep roots and expressive fruit, though arid summers prompt undervine mulching. Wines include three cuvees of pinot noir as well as chardonnay, with trousseau and chenin blanc still maturing. The wines have lightness of touch with an underlying power, with a salinity born of sandy quartz-like soils and and layered complexity thanks to the varied terrain. Cared for by Paul and Gilli Lipscombe, Sailor Seeks Horse is a testament to patience and place.

Utzinger Vineyard, Tamar Valley, Tasmania

Nestled in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley, the Utzinger Vineyard spans 5 hectares under the care of Matthias Utzinger, planted in 2018 on virgin brown dermosols rich with ironstone gravel. This north-easterly slope, cooled by winds off kanamaluka/the Tamar River, offers a prolonged ripening season that shapes its pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and syrah. Certified organic since its inception, the vineyard employs high-density planting at 6,500 vines per hectare, with 20% of the land dedicated to revegetation for biodiversity. Matthias crafts the wines from this site himself. This young vineyard, blending Utzinger’s Swiss heritage with Tasmanian terroir, shows how small-scale, intentional viticulture can make an immediate impact.

Pressing Matters Vineyard, Tasmania

Tucked into Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, the Pressing Matters Vineyard spans 20.6 hectares of volcanic limestone and black clay, with its vines – planted from 1980 to 2024 – now under Mark Hoey’s steady hand. Pinot noir (44 years deep), riesling, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and newbies such as shiraz and gamay grow on a mix of own-roots and rootstocks, yielding five separate riesling bottlings, three pinot noirs, a chardonnay, a cabernet sauvignon, and a sparkling pinot – all estate-grown. It’s a quiet innovator, protecting its legacy as a Tasmanian pioneer against the threat of a warming future.

Stargazer – Palisander Vineyard, Tasmania

Palisander vineyard, in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, was originally planted with 1-hectare of pinot noir and riesling vines in 2004, and later purchased by Samantha Connew – the talented winemaker behind the Stargazer label. Since then, Connew expanded the plantings to 5-hectares with the addition of chardonnay, gamay, pinot blanc, pinot gris, and gewurztraminer. The viticulture is managed by Bryn Williams with a holistic approach rather than simply a grape monoculture – providing economic sustainability as well as biodiversity. Palisander stands out for its depth of pinot noir and chardonnay clones, and unique focus on producing Alsatian blends.

Stefano Lubiana Vineyard, Granton

It is over 30 years since Steve Lubiana set up shop in the Derwent Valley, only a short drive from Hobart, with the Stefano Lubiana Vineyard now occupying just over 28 hectares. Certified biodynamic for nearly a decade, it was Tasmania’s first to achieve accreditation, and was the island state’s only one until very recently. Pinot noir and chardonnay take centre stage, but there are also aromatic whites, syrah and small plots of malvasia and blaufränkisch planted. The wines veer from those classically styled, including several single block bottlings, to ones of a natural bent raised in amphora, while the original motivation for the move south – sparkling wine – sees six individual expressions, including a vintage that slumbers for a decade on lees.

Small Wonder Vineyard, Tamar Valley

Small Wonder is a new brand on a mature property in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley, specialising in pinot noir, chardonnay and aromatic whites. In 2020, Goaty Hill was sold to the Overstory group – which also has vineyards in Margaret River – by the founders after two decades on the property. Vineyard manager Wayne Nunn in consultation with Dylan Grigg has converted the site from 20 years of conventional practcies to certified organic viticulture, and together with group winemaker Andrew Trio, the team have undertaken concerted works to map and understand the micro terroirs of the site. Pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc and pinot gris make up the varietal mix across 25 hectares of varied aspects and soil.

Pooley – Cooinda Vale, Coal River Valley

When it was first planted in 1985, Pooley Wines’ Cooinda Vale Vineyard in the Coal River Valley added less than a hectare to the state’s meagre 47 hectares of grapevines. Fast forward, and today Pooley contribute around 20 hectares across their two sites to the 2,000 plus planted on the Apple Isle, and a whole lot more to the reputation of the island state’s wine industry. The site, managed by Steve Ferguson, producers Pooley’s most revered single-site wines made from riesling, chardonnay and pinot noir.

Marion’s Vineyard, Tamar Valley

Marion’s Vineyard sits on the west bank of the Tamar, some 35 km north of Launceston. It’s a picturesque spot, with the vines arrayed on a healthy slope leading to a broad expanse river, a row of Tuscan cypress standing to attention in front of the stone winery in the middle of the vineyard. Marion and Mark Semmens bought the site in 1979 after a life-changing holiday, leaving their San Francisco home behind and planting vines a year later. Today, their daughter, Cynthea, runs the operation, with a decade of hard work leading to biodynamic certification being granted in 2022. The site predictably favours chardonnay and pinot noir, but it also has the capacity to mature later-ripening grapes, such as syrah and cabernets sauvignon and franc.

Sailor Seeks Horse Vineyard, Huon Valley, Tasmania Gilli and Paul Lipscombe