Clarence House

This small vineyard is located just north of Hobart on a perfectly positioned north-east facing slope. The beautiful old Georgian homestead of Clarence House was built in 1830 at Clarence Plains, Mt Rumney, has been maintained in its original splendour surrounded by beautiful gardens, and in 1998 present owner David Kilpatrick began planting vines on the north east sloping block facing Mount Rumney just below the Coal River Valley. Over 8ha of the total 12ha of plantings consists of pinot noir and chardonnay, with the remainder including pinot blanc, sauvignon blanc, merlot and tempranillo. All wines are now made by Anna Pooley and Justin Bubb at the nearby Pooley cellar in Cambridge.

2020 Pinot Blanc
Made by Justin Bubb and Anna Pooley at Pooley wines the 2020 Pinot Blanc is fresh with delightful fruit characteristics. Pinot Blanc is an Alsatian grape, mutated from Pinot Noir, and makes an elegant drinking wine with balance between fruit and acid. Excellent with most foods or as an aperitif.
Aromas of perfumed white flowers and white stone fruits. Lively yet beautifully deep and textured on the palate, displaying attractive inner-mouth perfume and sneaky concentration to its white stone fruit flavours. Finishes bright and long, with a glyceral mouthfeel that leaves an impression of sweetness, though finishing dry.

2023 Chardonnay
Entirely from a single block, two clones of Chardonnay were sourced from Block 4, which resides on an east-facing slope with views back towards the Clarence House homestead and Mt Rumney. Picked in the first days of April, whole-bunch pressed and allowed to ferment wild in a combination of tank and old French oak puncheons.
Wonderfully complex, with citrus and stonefruit tempered by mineral and spice notes. Elegant and seamless, persistent and refreshing. Will age gracefully however equally enjoyable fresh and unbridled with appropriate cuisine.

2023 Reserve Chardonnay
Entirely from a single block, utilizing a very high proportion of the prized Penfolds clone. Whole-bunch pressed, wild barrel ferment, six month élevage. A selection of the finest barrels has resulted in in a reserve bottling with new and old French oak, sourced from a combination of barriques and puncheons. Wonderfully complex, boasting citrus and peach stonefruit, tempered by judicious marriage of oak. Robust, concentrated, yet fresh and bound by impeccable structure. Will age gracefully however equally enjoyable fresh and unbridled with appropriate cuisine.
Deep, complex nose combines soft citrus scents, lime, fresh herbs, minerals and stone. Juicy, stony and penetrating, with crystalline flavours of lemon and minerals. More complex than the young-vines example, with firm, perfectly integrated acids giving the wine a very brisk character. Stony, long and precise on the aftertaste.

2023 Pinot Noir
Planted across six blocks and utilizing a myriad of different clones. Wild fermentation with a small portion of whole bunches for perfume and structure. Aged in a combination of new and old French oak barriques and puncheons. Typical red and dark berry fruits are prominent, with floral and spice notes. Medium bodied, erring on the slightly fuller side. Ample concentration is restrained within a lithe structure framed by ripe yet fine tannins.
Dark berry fruit, briar, forest undergrowth and dried flower. Instant intensity on the palate, a core of red spectrum fruit, ripe and concentrated, woven through a fleshy texture of supple tannin and freshness. Long finish. A young Pinot, very much open for business, coiled within a framework to age slowly and gracefully.

2023 Reserve Pinot Noir
The majority of the fruit was destemmed for wild fermentation with a small portion of whole bunches (15%) for perfume and structure. Aged in a combination of 10% new and old French oak barriques and puncheons, with a selection to determine the most structural and pristine barrels for the reserve bottling. A pinot typified by perfume, spice, nuanced tannin and freshness. Medium bodied, with concentration of fruit tempered by fine structure. Elegant and ethereal. Enjoy with game meats and decanting is recommended.
Floral, red and black fruits, forest elements and mixed spices. Seamless palate, textural yet buoyed by fresh, lively acidity and a long, tannin-infused finish. A great candidate for the cellar, yet equally enjoyable as a young, primary wine full of fruit and energy.

2023 Block 1 Pinot Noir
From the oldest Pinot Noir vines on the estate hence Block 1. Just 3 puncheons produced - the best barrels in 2022 that really stood out and which deserved their own designation and label. The wine is 1/3 whole bunch (which comes from the 777). The balance is destemmed 114/115. Matured in French oak puncheons. Three puncheons in total with one being a new puncheon. The other two puncheons came from 5 year old oak. The wine spent approximately 20 days on skins before pressing. It spent a total of 11 months in oak. Wild fermentation.
Alcohol: 13.3%, TA : 6.3, PH: 3.60 Notably deeper richer and spicier than the estate cuvee and will age comfortably for years to come yet very impressive already...
Floral, red and black fruits, forest elements and mixed spices. Seamless palate, textural yet buoyed by fresh, lively acidity and a long, tannin-infused finish. A great candidate for the cellar, yet equally enjoyable as a young, primary wine full of fruit and energy.

2020 Sauvignon Blanc - SOLD OUT
The 2020 Clarence House Sauvignon Blanc was produced by Anna Pooley and Justin Bubb at Pooley Wines. It displays all of the raw fruit characteristics of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Delicious with fish it will accompany any food or stand alone. Gooseberry aromas with depth and character without overt herbaceous character. Fresh and crunchy green fruit flavours with ample acidity and freshness all beautifully balanced.