The wines
of Tamar
Ridge, Tasmania, Australia
Website: http://www.tamarridgewines.com.au/
Tamar
Ridge is emerging as one of Tasmania’s leading lights, from a
standing start back in 1994 when the first vines were planted here.
The first wines to be released were as recently as 1999.
It’s a big venture, with around 300 hectares of vines
in three different sites, overseen by well known viticultural
consultant Richard Smart. Another famous name here is that of CEO and
chief winemaker, Andrew Pirie, who became famous for establishing
Tasmanian superstar winery Pipers Brook.
These are impressive cool climate new world wines, with
the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc catching my eye. Availability in
the UK: Great Western Wine (here),
Lay & Wheeler (here),
Execellars, Eden Wine and Laithwaites.
Tamar
Ridge Devil’s Corner Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Tasmania, Australia
Quite an intense, sweetly fruited nose with a herby
edge and some limey intensity. It’s rich but fresh. The palate has
generous, sweet fruit but a bit of an assertive grassy freshness. Lots
of concentration here, and nice balance between the gooseberry and
tropical fruit characteristics of the Sauvignon. Very good/excellent
90/100
Tamar
Ridge Pinot Gris 2004 Tasmania, Australia
Fresh, herbal, slightly spicy nose. The palate is
concentrated with a nutty richness underpinning the fresh, slightly
neutral herb-tinged fruit. The subtle oak adds some interest to this
otherwise slightly one-dimensional wine. It’s not as fat as an
Alsace Pinot Gris and is struggling a bit to find its voice here. Very
good+ 85/100
Tamar
Ridge Pinot Noir 2003 Tasmania, Australia
Really appealing sweet, supple berry fruit nose: quite elegant and
perfumed. The palate shows good concentration, nice acidity and some
grippy, spicy tannins, but the fruit is ripe and elegant. Overall,
this is a very convincing new world Pinot of great purity. It may well
develop interestingly. Very good/excellent 90/100
Tamar Ridge Limited Release Botrytis Riesling 2005
Tasmania, Australia
This goes remarkably well
with raspberries. Try it! It is sweet and viscous, yet light and fresh
at the same time. Lots of complex, sweet apricot and lemony fruit with
a nice spiciness, some honeyed notes and high acidity. An impressive,
precise sweet wine with some future ahead of it. Very good/excellent
91/100 (UK agent Vinus Vita)
Wines tasted between
01–07/06
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