Tolpuddle Vineyard - Chardonnay 2024

Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2024 is James Suckling Australia Wine of the Year.

"Twelve vintages later, Hill-Smith and Shaw produced perhaps their best wine ever. The Tolpuddle Vineyard - Chardonnay 2024 crowns our Top 100 Wines of Australia list as the Australian Wine of the Year for 2025 – marking the second consecutive year a Tasmanian producer has taken the top spot." - James Suckling

"This is a genuine “wow” wine, and you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the grand climats of Burgundy when tasting it. It sits just on the edge of reduction with its power and minerality, and its highly strung palate is balanced by a generous and rounded mouthfeel. If there’s a reason Hill-Smith and Shaw are considered one of Australia’s top winemaking teams, this is it." - James Suckling

Tolpuddle Vineyard is an outstanding vineyard established in 1988 and takes its name from the Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th century agricultural laborers, some of whom were transported to Tasmania as convicts to work on a farm in the Coal River Valley, part of which is now Tolpuddle Vineyard. Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW purchased the vineyard in 2011 and now make two wines – Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay and Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir. They believe Tolpuddle is one of Australia’s great single vineyards, with plantings of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir.

Located about 20 minutes drive from Hobart, in Tasmania’s southeast, the Coal River Valley has established a reputation for growing exceptional quality grapes. With a climate at the cool extremes for viticulture in Australia, it is no surprise that Chardonnay and Pinot Noir perform so splendidly. An anomaly for such a cool climate, the rainfall is significantly lower than many of Australia’s other cool climate regions, with an average of approximately 500mm of rain per year. This cool but relatively dry climate allows the grapes to ripen slowly in autumn, without the disease pressure that heavy rainfall can bring. The vineyard is planted with mature Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, facing northeast and sloping gently up from Back Tea Tree Road. The soil is light silica over sandstone and of moderate vigor, ensuring well-balanced vines producing grapes of great flavor and intensity.

Tolpuddle Vineyard has a unique, strong, and expressive character. Commitment in the vineyard, with an emphasis on working by hand, augments the site’s natural character at its best, while also ensuring that the best from each set of vintage conditions are captured in the wines. The wines are made in a respectful way, using traditional, low intervention winemaking methods.

The grapes were all hand picked, whole bunch pressed, and fermented in French oak. The wine spent nine months in barrel with gentle stirring as required, then rested in tank on lees.

“Wow. This sits on the edge of reduction, expressing both power and minerality with aromas of struck match, lemon confit, crushed stones, sweet spices, grapefruit and apple blossoms. The palate is highly strung with striking acidity, balanced by a generous, rounded yet restrained mouthfeel. You could easily be in one of the great Climats of Burgundy. Truly excellent from one of Australia’s most celebrated producers. Drink or hold.” - 98 Points, James Suckling

“Ooh-boy the Tolpuddle Chardonnay is in a good place. I guess you could call this vintage a 'classic'. A little more restraint and line than the '23; a little more filigree and nuance, those flinty/struck-match tones a little further back in the mix and woven through the wine in an intricate pattern. White peach, lemon, grapefruit and nectarine fruits are high fidelity and beautifully poised, suffused with soft spice, clover and grapefruit blossom, crushed stone, cinnamon, a murmur of vanillin oak and spiced poached pear, grilled hazelnuts, crème fraîche and a whisper of onshore breeze. Everything is in sharp relief, with the purest of fruit. It's all detail and tension, with a textural glaze of grapefruit pith and a sapid, mineral line that builds like a crescendo before releasing, finishing long and true. It's a stunner.” - 98 Points, Australian Wine Companion

"Pale color. Beautiful pure grapefruit, verbena, grilled nut aromas with honey/ marzipan, touch lanolin notes. Pure supple and minerally with fresh grapefruit, lemon curd, marzipan flavors, slippery/ saline notes on the mid-palate and high-pitched crisp acidity. Al dente finish with superb mineral length. Very good volume and richness of flavor while possessing tension and vigor. Should age beautifully well if one dares to wait.” - 96 Points, Andrew Caillard MW

Producer: Tolpuddle Vineyard

Country: Australia

Region: Tasmania

Varietal: Chardonnay

Appellation: Tasmania

Vintage: 2024

Size: 750ml