Description

What happens when a 5th generation winemaker arrives in Tasmania in 1990? He sees the potential that this little island holds for creating great wine. Located at Granton, in the Derwent Valley 20km’s north of Hobart, overlooking the spectacular tidal estuary of the Derwent River. The winery is devoted to cool climate aromatic varieties and does this with a lot of success. Full conversion to biodynamics shows the passion and rigour that is put into the vineyards here.

A dark, and wonderfully perfumed Pinot that shows plums, red flowers, spice and earth. There is a bit of weight in this Pinot but it still has the lovely perfume and acid that makes Pinot great. The concentration in this wine means it takes a bit of time to open up and it looks the goods for a spell in the cellar. 2012 was a really successful year for Steve Lubiana so look out for his top Pinot Noir: Sasso.

Pinot Noir – This is the most elusive grape. It is relatively early ripening and extremely sensitive to terroir. Its perfect place on earth is the Cote d’Or in Burgundy. So haunting are great red Burgundy’s charms that growers everywhere try to emulate them. Pinot Noir is not just a one trick pony, it can make great reds, rosé, sparkling and even sweet wines, whites on occasion and I’ve tasted a decent fortified Pinot Noir too.