Stoneyrise

This is the venture of Joe and Lou Holyman. The Holyman family has been involved in vineyards in Tasmania for 20 years, but Joes 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, Mt Benson and Coonawarra, gave him an exceptionally broad-based understanding of wine. In 2004 Joe and Lou purchased the former Rotherhythe vineyard, which had been established in 1986 but was in a somewhat rundown state, and set about restoring the vineyard to its former glory, with 3ha of pinot noir and 1ha of chardonnay. There are two ranges: the Stoney Rise wines, focusing on fruit and early drinkability, the Holyman wines with more structure, more new oak and the best grapes, here the focus on length and potential longevity. JAMES HALLIDAY