Good Pair Days - Spring Vale Estate Chardonnay 2018

It's not "new" news to hear that Tassie is making amazing wines. But strangely it seems to be a curveball to hear that Tasmanian vineyards were actually some of the first to be planted in all of Australia! In fact, these vines were the source of cuttings for the first vineyards that were planted in South Australia and Victoria. Which, of course, are now home to some of the oldest vines in Australia and the world.

It's this kind of history that gets us really excited about this southern, cool-climate juice. Especially with new school hands working old-school land, like we see at Spring Vale Winery.

The estate's history dates back quite a few years, to William Lyne's establishment of it in 1826 (yes that's nearly 200 years ago!). Continuing the tradition of hard work and innovation of the land, descendants Rodney and Lyn Lyne took over the lot and created "Spring Vale Winery" in 1986. Talk about a family with roots! Now, Rodney and Lyn lead the charge of wine production, and their son, Tim, champions viticulture.

The vineyards and winery are located in the driest part of the state, the Freycinet Coast. Here the low rainfall, warm days and cool nights create an ideal climate for slow ripening and excellent grape flavour development at such a southern latitude. The family's production is primarily focussed on world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and a splash of Pinot Meunier certainly elevate the range with bottles to buzz about. Not to mention, they also make a couple small batch gins!

This wine breaths as if it were alive. A vibrant nose of ripe white peach, nectarine and lemon curd. The palate is creamy, with a silken smooth mouthfeel that's layered with notes of grilled nuts. Leave it to the cool growing environment of Tasmania to give this wine its crunchy crisp of acidity to balance it's richness. Clean, pure fruit flavours with great length and balance. Talk about elegance.