Stargazer Rada Pinot Meunier/Pinot Noir/Gamay 2024

A balance of spiced red fruit and earthy elements lift from the glass. Saline cherry and liquorice play off sage flower and chamomile notes. The svelte yet crunchy palate gives away to waxy fruit on the palate driven by a line of natural acidity framed by rounded tannins.

The Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir parcels for this wine were picked in the first two weeks of March, with the Gamay harvested on 15 April.
The majority (84%) of the batches were destemmed with 16% left as whole bunches.
Al of the Gamay underwent carbonic maceration for 10 days prior to being destemmed and fermented out.
• The Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir parcels were cold soaked for three days prior ot being warmed up for wild ferment (by indigenous yeasts) which lasted for about seven days prior to being pressed to tank.
Racked of gross lees to older Francois Freres and Ermitage French oak puncheons the next day with six months in oak on fine lees prior to preparing for bottling.
Final blend: 50% Pinot Meunier, 44% Pinot Noir, 6% Gamay
Bottled 8 October 2024: 13% alc., 3.48pH, 59g/L TA

Located in the Tea Tree subregion at the northern end of the Coal River Valley, the original 1ha vineyard on Back Tea Tree Road was planted by Norm and Jan Gangell in 2004. Pretty much half and half riesling and pinot noir, the property (eleven hectares in total) is also home to an olive grove. I took over in 2016 and in late 2017 expanded the vineyard to include an additional two hectares of vines: more pinot noir (four clones), some chardonnay (another four clones) and more riesling. Stage two of the expansion was planted in October 2021: more pinot noir (two clones), gamay, pinot blanc, riesling, pinot gris and gewurztraminer.

Palisander Vineyard (as I have named it) is located on brown dermosol soil over jurassic dolerite, the igneous rock which gives over half of Tasmania its distinctive geological formations (think the rocky outcrops on the Tasman Peninsula). The soil is particularly high in calcium which is a positive indicator for quality grapes, being associated with thicker skins and slower ripening. Whilst I am still very new to this whole grape grower caper, myself and my new vineyard manager Guy Young are fervent believers in sustainable farming, biodiversity and regenerative agriculture. As part of this approach, we use sheep in the vineyard during winter for weed control, chickens free range throughout the year and scratch around for bugs, bees contribute their pollination magic (and honey) and since 2020 we have planted over 1000 native species on the property.