Tasting Notes

The 2020 Apsley Gorge Pinot Noir is a much loved favourite red wine at Annata. A magnificent example of Australian Pinot Noir. One of the very best.

Tasting Notes

The colour is dark ruby with a translucent depth. The nose wafts of game and earth, which give way to brambly fruit, white pepper and violets. The fruit is powerful but precise and focused. Richly textured in the mouth with ripe fruit, dark chocolate, slate and a fine, chalky structure line. The wine is savoury and dry on the finish. The palate has superb volume in the mouth without being heavy or extractive - sleek suppleness is the hallmark.

Wine Making

Former Abalone diver and Lobster fisherman Brian Franklin planted Apsley Gorge with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the early 1990’s. His winemaking style is very French. Since 2002, Franklin has also been producing vintages with the legendary vigneron Philippe Charlopin in Burgundy. Phillippe’s son Yann learned his wine making skills at Apsley Gorge. They made their first Grand Cru in 2017. The Apsley Gorge grapes are hand-picked and fermented in French oak – 30 per cent of it is aged in new oak. His wine making is mostly biodynamic. He doesn’t filter his wine, or use introduced substances to stabilise or clarify it. The yeast that kickstarts fermentation is naturally occurring and wild. His seven-hectare Apsley Gorge vineyard isn’t irrigated (the exception is a newly planted stand of chardonnay vines) and he no longer uses mineral fertilisers.

The Vineyard

Situated in the Apsley Valley about 14 kilometres from the township of Bicheno, Tasmania, the Apsley Gorge vineyard enjoys an excellent climate for chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The first vintage was produced in 1993. The vineyard, about 7 hectares, is farmed as low yield and non-irrigated to ensure the stability of the fruit. The vines are hand pruned and handpicked to maintain quality from vineyard to winery.

Tasmania's Apsley Gorge is a world apart. It is a cool location, extending the ripening season and making it among the last to pick in the state.