Holyman Chardonnay 2024

Holyman Chardonnay 2024

The Holyman family had been involved in vineyards in Tasmania for 20 years, but Joe Holyman's career in the wine industry, first as a sales rep, then as a wine buyer, and more recently working in wineries in NZ, Portugal, France, Mount Benson and Coonawarra, gave him an exceptionally broad-based understanding of wine. In 2004 Joe and wife Lou purchased the former Rotherhythe Vineyard, which had been established in 1986, and set about restoring it to its former glory. There are two ranges: the Stoney Rise wines, focusing on fruit and early drinkability, and the Holyman wines, with more structure, more new oak and the best grapes, here the focus on length and potential longevity.

100% New Oak, 39 year old vines from a small 0.78Ha vineyard.

Grapefruit, white peach, lemon zest, aniseed, cinnamon and cedar oak, some vanilla and white flower perfume. It’s an intense and tightly-coiled wine, though it’s not lacking in pleasure factor even as a young wine. Bright grapefruity acidity, green olive, firm flinty and chalky texture, with a lively finish of excellent length. Mouth-watering and zesty to close. An excellent release, and while it’s good now, it’ll be even better with a couple more years in bottle. 96 Points - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front