Meadowbank Gamay 2024

Drawn from estate vineyards in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania, where cool conditions and long growing seasons give a light and aromatic varietal expression of Gamay.

Fermentation is handled with a light touch, with a portion of whole bunch and gentle extraction. Élevage is kept neutral, allowing the fruit to remain at the forefront.

Red cherry, cranberry and spice lead, with a faint savoury edge. The palate is light to mid-weight, with fine tannins and a bright line of acidity.

Graeme Phillips wrote about the Derwent Valley for the Tasmania Wine & Gastronomy Map: “Here, the region’s vineyards benefit from the moderating influence of the mighty River Derwent or Lake Meadowbank resulting in relatively cool but sunny ripening conditions and wines of exceptional structure and flavour. The father of the southern industry, Claudio Alcorso, famously claimed that had the French settled Hobart instead of the English, all of the valley’s hills would today be covered in vines. The soils run from calcerous clay over river gravels uphill at Granton to black cracking clay on limestone to deep terra rossa soils on the upper slopes where the Italian Nebbiolo grape has recently been planted. Two of Australia’s most highly acclaimed Chardonnays source a major portion of their fruit from here, as do the producers of one of the country’s leading sparkling wines.”