Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023
Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A thrilling first encounter with Tasmanian Pinot Noir, vivid, ultra-fresh, and beautifully lifted. This cool-climate expression leans into precision and energy rather than weight, delivering juicy purity without drifting into jamminess. Lightly chilled, it absolutely sang in the glass, showing how Tasmania is quietly carving out a serious identity for elegant, high-definition Pinot Noir.

Aromas & Flavors
Bright dark cherry, cola spice, and fresh red-black berry fruit lead the aromatics, layered with subtle floral lift and a hint of forest freshness. On the palate, juicy cherry, cranberry skin, and gentle baking spice glide effortlessly, keeping everything lively, transparent, and beautifully balanced without heaviness.

Mouthfeel
Light to medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and silky, flowing texture. Energetic, refreshing, and wonderfully agile, the wine literally dances across the palate, especially when served slightly chilled.

Food Pairings
Roast chicken or duck with herbs. Grilled salmon or tuna. Mushroom risotto or lentil dishes. Charcuterie boards with soft cheeses. Asian-inspired dishes with light soy or ginger notes.

Verdict
A joyful, eye-opening Pinot Noir that delivers freshness, precision, and pure drinkability. Not jammy, not heavy, just beautifully expressive cool-climate Pinot with real personality. A reminder that Tasmania deserves serious attention on the global Pinot stage.

Did You Know?
Coal River Valley is one of Tasmania’s coolest and driest wine regions, benefiting from long daylight hours, cool nights, and maritime influence, ideal conditions for preserving acidity, aromatics, and finesse in Pinot Noir. Commercial vineyard plantings here only began in the late 1980s, making it a young but rapidly rising region.

🍷 Personal Pick
This was pure discovery joy for me, lightly chilled, insanely fresh, and dangerously easy to love. Exactly the kind of wine that makes you rethink what Pinot can be outside the usual Burgundy and Oregon lanes. — 7 days ago

Scott Rowe

9.4

The Nocton Vineyard from Coal River Valley in Tassy just 8 minutes from Tolpuddle Vineyard. Fantastic wine which presents the same logistical nightmare as TPV for us.

The Central Otago TOSQ reveals even larger nightmares as it’s partially fermented before making the journey to a residential winery with tight restrictions on operations.
— 7 years ago

Big Wave Dave

9.5

An incredible chard by any measure. Powerful reductive aromatics - smoke, lees, grapefruit, The palate is seamless and doesn’t let up - serious med/full bodied weight. Med acid, complex, and super long. Complete. — 3 months ago

Bob McDonald

8.9

Very dense crimson/Ruby in colour. A rich full bodied Pinot Noir - as I’ve written in previous Dry River PN tastings - a Shiraz drinkers Pinot. My problem with Dry River PNs has always been the density and lack of nuance even when you cellar them for a long time. I much preferred the 2013 Tolpuddle PN the previous night. — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Quite pale Lemon considering its age. Funky solids musty aromas. Medium bodied medium acid with grapefruit notes on palate and reasonable length. A good Chardonnay from this premium Adelaide Hills producer. From cousins Shaw and Smith - Michael Hill-Smith was Australia’s first Master of Wine. Have spread their wings to Tasmania with the premium Tolpuddle. — 6 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.2

This Crew did make Pinot with our Tolpuddle grapes.
These days dabbling in Shiraz since we cut their supply and doing great things. — 8 years ago

with Anthony

Big Wave Dave

9.3

Son of Stefano - already showing great potential. Shy slightly reductive nose. Palate is poised, with orange peel, brioche. Lovely balance. A great Chard - not as complex or structured as Tolpuddle but well worth the $85. — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

The 2nd of 2 Tasmanian Pinot Noirs. Dense Ruby in colour - much darker than the Tolpuddle. Rich aromatics of smoky oak and black fruits - Cherry and Plum which carry through to the full bodied palate. Generous flavours. Finishes dry. Incredibly youthful for 8 years of age. One of the bigger bodied Pinots I’ve had for a while. — 5 years ago

Martijn

9.1

Because it is Friday......! — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Toffee caramel notes showing the oak influence along with bright red cherries and other red fruits. On the palate a nice savoury earthiness - very Tassie. From the Coal River and only 5 klms from the high profile Tolpuddle Vineyard. Tasted again 9 weeks later on 19th February with consistent notes. Aromatic Bright and Fresh. A lot of these Tasmanian producers are boutique small operations who do not distribute overseas and can sell the lot in Australia. — 8 years ago