2022 Lowestoft Estate Pinot Noir, Tasmania

I remember a winemaker friend telling me to keep an eye on these guys a while back. In recent years, Lowestoft has become one of the high flyers on the Tassie wine scene. I owe that man a beer. This beautifully made wine is sourced from the Fogarty Group's vineyards in the state. Pure red cherry and berry fruits, spice laden, complex and composed, the 2022 release impresses with its seamless extended finish and length of flavour. Drink to 2035.

95 points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, April 2024

Deep colour; big ripe sweet cherry nose, some whole-bunch notes, lovely—as it is on palate also. Succulent, fruit sweet and delicious. Drink to 2034.

94 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, May 2024

Lifted master stock spices surround aromas of ripe red cherries, strawberries and pomegranate juice. The flavours continue with warm spices but shift towards darker fruit, with great length and an expanding finish. This is a succulent and silky wine supported by powdery tannins.

The wine's spice register and structured tannins suit dishes built around soy and five-spice: think a Chinese master stock duck breast, sliced and glazed, or a five-spice pork belly with a sticky reduction. For something meat-free, a shiitake and Sichuan pepper dumpling would pick up the same spice thread without fighting the fruit.

More about this wine

The 2022 Estate Pinot Noir is a blend of fruit grown in the Lowestoft vineyard, complemented with fruit sourced from Fogarty Hall’s other Tasmanian vineyards on the East Coast (24%) and in Huon Valley (2%).

All parcels were hand-picked and fermented separately in open top fermenters with up to 25% whole bunch, gentle hand plunging and occasional pump-overs. The wine was matured for ten months in large format French oak of which 30% were new. Bottling took place after blending, minimal fining and filtration.

About Lowestoft

The Lowestoft vineyard is a densely planted three-hectare vineyard with some of the oldest Pinot Noir plantings in Tasmania. Originally planted in 1986, it is located on the banks of Derwent River, just 15 minutes northwest of downtown Hobart.

Two recently planted vineyards near Richmond and Forcett in the Coal River Valley have provided additional fruit from the 2023 vintage, and fruit is also sourced from growers in Huon, Derwent, Coal River and Tamar Valleys. All wines are made at Tasmanian Vintners owned by Fogarty Hall wine group, owners of the Lowestoft vineyard since 2019. Chief winemaker Liam McElhinney is the man behind numerous trophy winning wines and was shortlisted for Halliday Wine Companion's Winemaker of the Year in 2025.