Stargazer
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TUPELO 2023
Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Gewurtz blend
Bottle shot
Despite the fact that so often these styles of textured aromatic white blends end up hidden away in the ‘Other varietals’ section of a wine list or cellar Stargazer’s Tupelo continues to be loved by trade and consumer alike. So much so much of the volume is allocated on release. We hope for more production in the coming years as more of Samantha’s younger plantings in Tea Tree come online.
The blend of the 2023 is 41% Pinot Gris, 28% Pinot Blanc, 26% Riesling, and 5% Gewürztraminer. This unusual blend mirrors the famous Alsatian ‘Gentil’ styles marrying the body and texture of Pinot Gris, exuberance of the Pinot Blanc with the spicy aromatics of Gewürztraminer and finishing with the finesse and acid structure of Riesling. That’s straight from Samantha’s own words.
The name Tupelo was inspired by the Tupelo black gum, of which its honey is highly sought after for its unique characteristic of having the perfect balance of sugars that it doesn’t crystallise. Samantha’s passion for white blends and the drive to find the perfect balance of sugar, acid and texture with her wines makes the naming of this wine perfect. Plus it’s the name of a Van Morrison song ‘Tupelo Honey’ and the place where Elvis was born. Given the praise this wine has received in recent vintages I’d say it’s keeping up with its heady namesake.
Samantha highlights how delicious Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer taste straight off the vine in Coal River Valley, so much flavour in the skins. All of the component varietals are sourced from the Coal River Valley from differing sub regions, Richmond, Tea Tree and Campania.
All the grapes are hand picked, destemmed. Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc & Riesling are left on skins for approximately 8 hours then pressed off to seasoned oak for wild ferment. Gewurztraminer is left a little longer on skins pre-ferment for 2 days. All varietals are left on lees for 3.5 months, with lees stirring every two weeks.
Wine is fined and filtered due to the 3.4 grams of RS purposely left in the wine.
“This can be among Australia’s very finest white wines. Period. It is reminiscent of the halcyon era of Marcel Deiss field blends. Each varietal rivet welded to a greater, more holistic sense of depth, resinous complexity, scintillating length and wow factor. The blend just is, ultimately transcending the individual parts despite their mention on the back label. Orchard fruits, cinnamon pastry, grape spice, orange blossom, tamarind and other things too numerous to mention in this space. The finish, as chewy as it is fresh. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind even more ripeness and chew to this. A wine of profundity and real potential, although I’d be enjoying this across the mid-term given the aromatic quotient to the blend. Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer.” – 96 Points – Ned Goodwin MW, jamessuckling.com
“I dig these Alsatian-style ‘gestalt’ blends. All varieties involved reporting for duty and getting on admirably for our drinking pleasure. This year’s makeup is 41/28/26/5% pinot gris/pinot blanc/riesling/gewürztraminer. It’s all slinky and textural (hello eight hours of skin contact) and the shimmering acidity draws everything into line nicely. Think citrus, yellow plum, white flowers, soft spice and crushed stone and you’re on the track. Just a joy to drink.” – 95 Points – Dave Brooks – Wine Companion
SINGLE VINEYARD RIESLING 2023
Bottle shot
This wine teeters on the brink between ‘dry’ and ‘off dry’, but simply put it’s just superbly balanced in terms of acid and fruit/RS. All the grapes are sourced from a single vineyard in the Tea Tree sub region of Coal River, planted in 2004 at a vineyard density 5000 vines per hectare. Soil type as described by Samantha is predominantly dark clay on Jurassic dolerite.
Hand picked in two picks two weeks apart, destemmed and left on skins for 8 hours before being pressed off to tank for fermentation. Samantha stops the tank ferment when she feels the sugar to acid balance is right (approx 6 weeks) and then leaves on lees for almost months, stirring fortnightly.
A Riesling with natural acid (2.99 PH) and with 8.6g grams residual it’s an absolute pleasure of a wine that showcases the potential of the Coal River for this variety and how the texture is so very different when you don’t need to acidify this variety.
“While there is slightly more volume to this than its Riesling sibling, paradoxically it feels daintier, lighter-weighted and more ethereal, reminiscent of a drier Kabinett. More subtle aromas, too, of baking spice, tarte tatin and apple blossom. A creamy, subtle oak element, too. A delicate performer driven by forceful backing vocals of mineral pungency and a salty maritime punch. I’d love to drink this in 10 years. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.” 94 Points – Ned Goodwin MW, jamessuckling.com
PALISANDER RIESLING 2022
Bottle shot
Sourced exclusively from Stargazer’s own vineyards in the sub region of Tea Tree in the NW side of the Coal River Valley region planted in 2002. Samantha highlights that the soil is brown dermosol on Jurassic dolerite which in layman’s terms is clay loam over ironstone with a high level of calcium, which she mentions promotes thick skins. She loves the extra flavour from this.
This is Samantha’s more ‘experimental’ expression of the variety, her goal to showcase texture vs the more classic Single vineyard Riesling release.
Hand picked, destemmed and left on skins for 8 hours then pressed off and wild fermented in a combination of ceramic & concrete egg then 10 months on lees post fermentation. Just 1.2 grams of residual sugar.
2022 is the second vintage that Stargazer have used both fruit from their own Palisander vineyard in Coal River Valley + sourced from a grower in the Upper Derwent Valley, which was formerly 100% of the blend. The Stargazer plot was planted in 2017, south facing and is primarily brown dermosol on Jurassic dolerite. The Derwent Valley vineyard owned by Bernand Brain was planted in 1999 and there are soils white silica sand over sandstone and clay. The site is north-east facing.
Hand picked, whole bunch pressed directly to oak for fermentation. Wild ferment in 500L French oak (Mercurey), 20% new. Full malolactic. No lees stirring, left in barrel for 8 months, the blended in tank for 3 months before bottling.
“A densely packed, chewy, pithy and appetizing mid-weighted Chardonnay. Tightly coiled scents of nutty praline, nougat and white peach. The oak, nestled into the fray seamlessly. The finish uncoils with air rather nicely, splaying long across a raft of juicy acidity. Drink or hold across the mid-term.” 92 Points – Ned Goodwin MW, jamessuckling.com
RADA 2023
Pinot Meunier + Pinot Noir
Bottle shot
Where does the name Meunier come from? “Meunier is a clonal mutation of Pinot Noir and is recognised viticulturally for its delicate web of white hairs on the underside of its leaves – resembling a fine dusting of flour (Meunier is French for miller)” – Samantha Connew – Owner of Stargazer.
Interestingly Samantha named this wine as a tip of the hat to Rada Penfold Collins, who in the 70’s represented Penfolds PR department and was perhaps Australia’s first female wine columnist, writing for the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Pinot Meunier for this wine is sourced from Pipers Brook region in the North East of Tasmania. That region of course is synonymous with sparkling wine production hence how she managed to find some. The blend in 2023 is 51% Pinot Meunier 49% Pinot Noir. 90& of the fruit was destemmed, with the remainder left as whole bunches. 40% of the Pinot Noir was co-fermented with the Pinot Meunier. Pressed off to tank then racked off gross lees into seasoned French puncheons. Elevage for 5 months on fine lees.
This wine is sourced exclusively from Stargazer’s own Palisander vineyard in the Tea Tree subregion of Coal River Valley. Two separate parcels of Pinot Noir, planted in 2002 and 2017 respectively.
Primarily brown dermosol on Jurassic dolerite, the plant material is combination of clones, the majority of which is G5Vl2 or Wadenswil. The 2022 also includes clones Abel, 115, 777 and MV6 from the blocks planted in 2017. It is all cane pruned and trained to a vertical shoot positioned canopy.
20% whole bunch with the remainder destemmed but not crushed. Cold soak for three days pre ferment. Post primary ferment the must is pressed off to French oak puncheons (Francois Freres, Mercurey and Ermitage), 22% new. 8 months elevage in oak with a further 6 weeks in tank.
“Bing cherry, rose petal, lilac and gritty hints of whole-bunch influence, from dill, peppercorn and a smoky streak of mezcal across the fibrous finish. A little distracting now, perhaps. Yet will integrate nobly with time due to the extract, density and plush refinement of the finish, never straying into excessive sweetness or medicinal notes as with too many regional pinots. A very good, mid-weighted pinot. It will only get better.” 95 Points – Ned Goodwin MW, jamessuckling.com