Sailor Seeks Horse (NSW & Victoria)

This tiny vineyard is one of Australia’s most southerly located in the Huon valley in southern Tasmania. Paul and Gilli Lipscombe own the vineyard and make the wines and both have considerable vineyard and winemaking experience behind them including winning the Jimmy Watson trophy for Home Hill where they have been the winemakers in recent years. From working together in the Languedoc to New Zealand, Oregon and Margaret River they spent a lot of time researching and considering the best possible vineyard site with the aim  to produce Australia’s best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay finally settling on this ideal north facing vineyard which is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly winds. Best described as a warm site within a cool climate, the soil is free-draining quartz inflected mudstone soil over clay. The vineyard is planted to a large variety of Dijon clones as well as numerous other clones planted by the previous owners and all vineyard work is done as organically as possible. In 2019 a new planting including some Trousseau has been made on the steep north-west facing slope beside the main vineyard block.

So to the name, where does that come from? There was a handwritten sign on the wall at the Red Velvet Lounge in Cygnet, our local coffee and cake respite from the Tasmanian weather. It said, “Sailor Seeks Horse” and went on to explain that the author had sailed solo around the world and ridden across the US from coast to coast and back again…on a mule. He’d then decided he wanted to travel around Tasmania by horse but didn’t have one. So, was there anyone who would lend him one? If they didn’t have a horse then a pony would do. It was an idea that resonated with us. Here we were, trying to do something a little bit crazy, without much money and requiring a little bit of help to get to where we wanted to be.

Vintage 2023
‘If you’ve tasted wines from 2023 in Tasmania we think you’ll have been impressed. It really was an outstanding year – a lovely growing season with moderate yields for most. As with most years for us this was a low-yielding season coming in between 2.5-3t/ha depending on the variety and clone. We’d decided to graft over our MV6 to 115 and Abel in 2021 but some of the grafts didn’t take so we retrained some of the MV6 back to the cordon wire which has meant there is an interesting mix of clones in those rows now. There were also a few bunches from the new west-facing block in the estate Pinot and Chardonnay!

New vineyard
In other news we have been helping some friends plant out a new 4ha Pinot Noir vineyard for them in Cradoc which will hopefully crop this year for the 2025 vintage and will go to a new single vineyard wine to be released in 2027.’ Gilli and Paul Lipscombe.

2023 Sailor Seeks Horse Chardonnay - VERY limited
From four Dijon clones (95, 96, 76 & 277) in two sections of the vineyard over 2 hectares in 2010.

‘In warmer regions you often get either breadth or precision but rarely both. We like to think our wines combine the two and never more so than in this Chardonnay. It has length, persistence and generosity combined with that saline character we see each year, all supported with some delicious new French oak.’ Gilli Lipscombe.

2023 Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot Noir
‘Picked at the end of April and into May with 5% whole bunch and our more traditional Tasmanian clones of 8048 and 2051, this is a classically savoury Pinot, lots of layers with a touch more tannin and weight than in cooler years.’ Gilli Lipscombe.

2023 Pinot Noir Dijon Clones
‘114 and 777 clones – rose perfume combined with more subtle savoury notes, intensity, length, filigree and high-toned.’ Gilli Lipscombe.

2023 Pinot Noir Huldufolk - VERY limited
The name means ‘hidden people’ in Icelandic and has its origins in 19th century folklore. This certainly is a hidden gem - if you are one of the lucky people to get one of just 800 bottles. The Huldufolk label is reserved for exceptional parcels of Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir.

‘115 clone. Roses and star anise. Our notes say – textural, plush, so much calmness, effortless, just sits. Slightly odd notes but winemakers eh?’ Gilli Lipscombe.

The following wines from the Tamar Valley vineyard SMALL WONDER (formerly Goaty Hill) - certified organic or 2023 vintage

2023 Small Wonder by Sailor Seeks Horse Chardonnay
‘A wet spring meant poor flowering across Tasmania, reducing yields significantly yet the rest of the season was relatively peaceful if cooler than normal. Despite the lower yields the cooler season ensured picking was about 'normal' in the old money so resulted in wines that were both restrained and elegant but intense. An excellent vintage if truth be told. A classical Tasmanian Chardonnay – all citrus, stone fruit, pith, weight and length.’ Gilli Lipscombe.

2023 Samll Wonder by Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot Noir
‘A wet spring meant poor flowering across Tasmania, reducing yields significantly yet the rest of the season was relatively peaceful if cooler than normal. Despite the lower yields the cooler season ensured picking was about 'normal' in the old money so resulted in wines that were both restrained and elegant but intense. An excellent vintage if truth be told. The Pommard clone from this site and its red-fruited, pepper-spice aromas and plush, sweet fruited palate combines with a touch of bitterness to taste like it has had a bit of whole bunch fermentation but it hasn’t!’ Gilli Lipscombe.

Vintage 2022
‘2022 can be summed up as 'wet then dry'. Maybe that's a touch simplistic but less is more as they say. Good canopies early in the season and then a relatively stress-free growing season meant bunches were a little fuller than 2021 and so yields came in at about our average which means a few more bottles this year than last. 

While it was dry at the end of summer and temperatures were fairly normal, it wasn't particularly sunny and as the fruit came in we had an inkling that it was a good Huldufólk Chardonnay year but we'd have to see whether we could find a Huldufólk Pinot. As it turned out, there were no single/double barrel Pinot combinations that were as complete as previous iterations and so we decided to see what a blend of all the Dijon clones (115, 114, 777) together would look like. As both fruit and wine they are often quite different to the 'older' clones and tend to be lower yielding and 'purer'. It's easy to reach for the term 'Burgundian' in this context and while it's a broad brush it gets you to the destination quicker than a bunch of flavour/texture descriptors. Perhaps. Either way, we loved the wine so we decided to bottle it!

2022 was a standout vintage for Chardonnay in the Huon Valley. Just the right combination of weather and yields to create wines of precision and balance. Our hallmark tends to be a slatey, briney, almost mineral-like palate weight which unites the two Chardonnays from 2022. 

The Huldufolk's whole-bunch pressing straight to oak gives it depth and palate weight while the Estate Chardonnay is all about cool-climate elegance.’ Gilli and Paul Lipscombe.

2022 Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot Noir
‘Wild ferments, gently plunged twice daily, then left on skins post ferment until the tannins aligned and pressed straight to barrel. 5% whole bunch. 10% new oak, mix of barriques, hogsheads and puncheons. 12 months in oak, 3 months in tank pre-bottling. Sulphured mid-summer. Un-fined Savoury, blue/red fruit, sappy, classic SSH nose, thyme, garrigue, flow.’ Gilli Lipscombe.

‘Huon Valley pinot noir, wild ferment, 5% whole bunch, 12 months' maturation in a mix of barriques, hogsheads and puncheons, 10% new. Mid-ruby with aromas of wild strawberry, red and dark cherry with hints of raspberry coulis, Chinese barbecue joint, sous bois, nori, souk spices, crushed stone and low-volume wood spice. Spacious and silken, with just a scattering of amaro herbs, a touch of brine to the acidity and sapidity and ease of drinking galore. Drink 2023-2035.’ 96 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, June 2024.