2024 Stargazer Pinot Noir
2024 Stargazer Pinot Noir

2024 Stargazer Pinot Noir

96 pts
Stargazer |Tasmania |Pinot Noir
Sam Connew's Pinot Noir is like drinking silk. Another great release from this small Tasmanian operation.
4.0
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
4 Reviews
Price:
$70.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Description

Sam Connew has always had a thing for Pinot. The spark first lit during her time in Oregon, but it was Tasmania - and a windswept block of vines in the Coal River Valley - that gave her the canvas to really explore it. The Stargazer Pinot Noir has since become one of those wines we look forward to every year, and the 2024 release might be her most complete yet.

Sourced entirely from her Palisander vineyard at Tea Tree, the wine brings together older Wadenswil vines planted in 2002 with more recent additions of Abel, MV6 and Dijon clones. Fermented with a quarter whole bunch and raised in French puncheons (30% new), it’s a careful, thoughtful build that lets the vineyard do the talking.

Sam's Pinot sits in that sweet spot between generosity and finesse. Aromas of red cherry, pomegranate and violets lift out of the glass, with spice and sarsaparilla adding intrigue. The palate is supple and flowing, with silky tannins and bright acidity carrying the fruit long and fine. There’s a touch of savoury depth tucked in among the prettiness, a reminder of Coal River Valley’s quiet power.

As ever, quantities are small and demand is high - this is one of Tasmania’s great Pinot stories in a bottle.

96 points
"If you seek a fruit-pure, flint-struck pinot noir, you are indeed in the right place."
- Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

Dave Brookes

Dave Brookes

Halliday Wine Companion 96 Points

If you seek a fruit-pure, flint-struck pinot noir, you are indeed in the right place. Those reductive tones lie nicely simpatico with the pure red/dark cherry, plum and raspberry fruits and there are hints of medina spice, amaro, twiggy bits, turned earth, crushed mountain herbs and purple florals in the mix. On the palate, there is a fine balance and tension between fruit, reduction and fine minerality. The wine shows a composed, complex array of spice, sinew and lovely pure fruit, finishing long, flinty and true.

Customer Reviews

4.0
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 4 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 3 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 1
4 reviews
  • JL
    jo l.
    Verified Buyer
    1 year ago
    Reviewing
    2023 Stargazer Pinot Noir
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Well made Tassie Pinot

    A little different from other Tassie Pinot . Delicious but I will wait for a while to drink asit is still young.

    Was this helpful?
  • DE
    David E.
    Verified Buyer
    3 years ago
    Reviewing
    2021 Stargazer Pinot Noir
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    2020 Stargazer Pinot Noir

    What a surprise, a great gem of a Pinot Noir, a real focus on quality wines

    Was this helpful?
  • CT
    Christopher T H.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    4 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Reviewing
    2021 Stargazer Pinot Noir
    Rated 1 out of 5 stars
    Dreadful

    Wild ferment gone wrong. Had to throw it out.

    Was this helpful?
Show More

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 2024 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.

25% 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 Damy, 30% new. 8 months elevage in oak with a further 6 weeks in tank.

“An exuberant nose of red cherry, pomegranate, violets, sarsaparilla, and thyme. The lifted pretty aromatics give way to similar vibrant spice on the palate. There is plenty of lush generous fruit alongside juicy red cherries, supported by clove, nutmeg and five spice. Soft velvet like tannins work with the bright acid to contribute to a sustained length of flavour.” – Samantha Connew – owner + winemaker

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type Red
Body Light Bodied
Variety Pinot Noir
Country Australia
Region Tasmania
Australian State TAS
Feature Women in Wine
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 96
Alcohol 12.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Screw Cap

Stargazer

Stargazer is the pint-sized Tasmanian passion project of the talented Samantha Connew. Sam is one of the country's most respected wine judges and a greatly influential voice in the Australian wine industry. Stargazer is her one-woman show, focused around Sam's small, beautiful vineyard works in the Coal River Valley.

She only makes tiny parcels of a few wines. Riesling (and Riesling Blends), Chardonnay & Pinot Noir are her chosen varieties. The quality is outstanding across each and every wine and they rightfully sell out in next to no time each year.

The Stargazer range is a set of beautiful, ethereal representations of the Apple Isle.

Samantha Connew in her Vineyard Discover Stargazer

Others also liked

Recently viewed

Common Questions

Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more.

For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.

We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.

Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.

No sorry we do not have a store front and pickup is not available.

Yes, no problem. When placing your order select ‘Store at Different Drop and Delivery Later’ as your shipping method or reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order with additional instructions.

We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.

To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you. 

If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.

 

Our warehouse is automated so unless you tell us otherwise, we will ship your order. If you would like us to hold your order please reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order and we are happy to store your order for up to 6 months at no charge. You can review our heat policy here.

Yes, of course. We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. You can see our price match policy here.

No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.

No, all prices are set at the full discounted dozen rate already.

If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.

Need a hand?

We’d love to help you out! Most questions can be sorted quickly through our Help Centre or by dropping us a line on chat or email. If it’s something urgent or you just really want to have a yarn about wine, food, or even the meaning of life, give us a call — we’re here for you.

Regular Enquiries

hello@differentdrop.com

Urgent Enquiries

02 8376 8775