On July 25, Pinot Shop held its 13th Tasmanian Pinot Showcase. One hundred and thirty tasters voted for their favourite pinot noirs. The dozen pack contains two each of the following wines; one of each in the six pack. 

2024  Utzinger Estate Pinot Noir  $60 (Tamar Valley)

The Black Label Estate Pinot Noir is the premium Pinot Noir in the Utzinger range.

Richly aromatic - cherry ripe, brioche, red peppercorns and damask roses. Vibrant fruit with a salty/iodine lick. Fruit sweetness is backed good acidity and savoury/charcuterie elements from the oak.

2024 Decades Pinot Noir (Coal River Valley)

Beguiling nose of pure, fragrant fruit. Dark cherry and roses with hint of baked quince, and more savoury beets and porcini. It evolves with breathing.
Weightless in the mouth, suspended… then the poised fruit, extraordinarily fine tannins and understated acid make their statement. Ethereal, but with old vine depth and richness, and incredible persistence.

2025 Apsley Gorge Pinot Noir (East Coast)

A perfume of quiet depth rather than bravado — dark chocolate, fine espresso, plum and wild blackberry, with a subtle savoury note of blood sausage beneath. A faint trace of petrichor lends an earthy, mysterious lift.

Where the 2024 leaned bigger and more concentrated, the 2025 shows real finesse: fruit that is pure and precise rather than dense, framed by fine, silky tannins that bring gentle grip without weight. The result is elegant and refined — supple, fresh and beautifully structured, with length in place of power.

2024 Tolpuddle Pinot Noir $110 ( Coal River Valley) 

Dark, brooding fruit and lifted aromas of aniseed and pepper. On the palate, concentrated fruit is framed by fine, integrated tannins that linger on the finish. There is a sense of opulence to this wine, balanced by more complex, savoury spice and the seamless acidity we have come to expect from Tolpuddle Vineyard.

2025 Anim Wines Pinot Noir $50 (Huon/Coal River Valley): No surprise that Max Marriott had two Pinots in the mix. The Cornwall won out.

2025 Anim Cornwall Pinot Noir (Coal River Valley)

Tasting all of these wines together, and now arriving at the Cornwall, it is fiercely different. There is more of an open-knit quality to this wine - the cardigan of the line-up. Beautiful, composed fruit, of different types and shapes, with a cavalcade of herbs and spices.

As an inaugural wine for us, we separated the fruit into two ferments - one completely de-stemmed whole berry, the other with 30% whole clusters. The final wine ends up a blend of both components, closer in the end to 20% whole bunch. Each brings its own merits and influence on the wine.

2021 Winstead Lot 16 Pinot Noir $49 (STH MIDLANDS)

 It is not a Showcase without one or the other Winstead Pinots in the top 6. And this year it was a tight contest with brother wine Lot 7, the votes only just favouring Lot 16. Neil Snare's 'inland' Bagdad location, old vines and indigenous yeast ferments and late afternoon breezes all create an exceedingly luscious Pinot.