Cape Bernier Vineyard Tasmania
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Cape Bernier Vineyard has a mix of soil types and weather conditions specific to this location. This provides a unique "terroir" which is reflected in the characters and flavours of our fruit. We work closely with our wine maker Julian Alcorso to ensure that we optimise our vineyard outcomes to make Cape Bernier wines the best that they can be.
Our aim is to produce wines of the very highest quality and which reflect the unique terroir of our site.
The fruit quality from Cape Bernier has been exceptional in all vintages so far. Consequently, we have produced very high quality Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Cabernet-Merlot wines. Winemaker Julian Alcorso and his colleagues at Winemaking Tasmania Pty Ltd have been key to this outcome.
We have seen significant improvements in grape quality through the 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages. The older vines generally produce fruit with more intense flavours and the fruit/tannin/acid balance has improved. We are now seeing clear varietal expression together with the unique characters which reflect the terroir of this site. This is particularly apparent in the set of Pinot Noir wines.
Our aim is to produce wines of the very highest quality and which reflect the unique terroir of our site.
Our Cape Bernier Pinot Noir is our "flagship" wine and a classic example of the best features of a Pinot Noir produced in the coolest of cool temperate maritime climates. Sparkling fruit and spice characters, complemented by soft oaky tannins, a firm structure and great cellaring potential. A wonderful food wine!
Our Cape Bernier Cabernet-Merlot really stretches the limit for ripening these grape varieties. The aim is to produce a soft, easy drinking style with characteristic Cabernet astringency and the plummy fruits of Merlot. Softer fruit flavours than the Pinot Noir, but more of the savoury tannins of the Cabernet sum up the differences with our Pinot Noir.
Our Cape Bernier Chardonnay is a classic example of what can be achieved when Chardonnay vines are grown in a genuinely cool climate. The fruit flavours are crisp and intense. The three 2004-2006 vintages are made in an unwooded style to allow these flavours full rein to express their personality. These wines differ from pure Chardonnay in that they include about 10% Pinot Gris. This blend is more robust and has some of the characters of several of the higher altitude Italian and Spanish varieties.
The 2007 vintage offered some slightly different characters and we have chosen a lightly wooded style to add some complexity through barrel fermentation. This wine was bottled in March 2008 and will be released to the market soon!
The first wine from the 2008 vintage is our Pinot Gris 2008. This variety absolutely loves our site and the wine shows a range of flavours from soft citrus, dominant apple and pear, and strong honey characters. The mouthfeel is silky and succulent.
Several of our Chardonnay vintages have won medals at recent Wine Shows: our Chardonnay Pinot Gris 2006 was awarded a Gold Medal (55.5 pts) at the recent 2008 Winewise Small Vigneron Wine Awards, the Chardonnay 2005 was awarded a Silver Medal at the November 2006 Hobart International Wine Show, while the Chardonnay 2004 was awarded a Bronze Medal at the January 2006 Tasmanian Wine Show.
Our Chardonnay-Pinot Gris 2006 is a superb wine, combining the best characteristics of the previous two vintages.
Our Pinot Noir 2005 is a more robust wine than the 2004 vintage, with hints of forest floor characters in addition to the firm dark plum fruit and oaky tannins. This will be a wine which will reward cellaring for perhaps several years. It was awarded a Silver Medal at the 2007 National Boutique Wine Show in Sydney. This vintage has now sold out.
Our Pinot Noir 2006 is even better than the two previous vintages as it has taken on the better characteristics of each of the previous two vintages. It was released in December 2007 and was recently awarded a Bronze Medal at the 2008 Winewise Small Vigneron Wine Awards.
Our Cabernet-Merlot is made in a soft, approachable and ready to drink style and has proven to be very popular. The 2005 vintage was released in November 2006 and sold out by October 2007. The 2007 vintage was released in December 2007.
Products Available from the 2006 - 2008 vintages in September 2008:
- Pinot Gris 2008 - available
- Pinot Noir 2006 – available
- Chardonnay Pinot Gris 2006 - available
- Cabernet Merlot 2007 – available
- Chardonnay 2007 – available
- Pinot Noir 2007 - probably early-mid 2009