Pooley Butcher's Hill Chardonnay 2024

The nose is dominated by lime curd, crunchy stone fruits, cumquat, fennel fronds, and lemon grass, with hints of cumin, coriander, and roasted almond.

The palate is an explosion of pink lady apple, nectarine, and white peach, rounded out with notes of honey and freshly torched Crème Brûlée. The finish offers kaffir lime, candied citrus peel, and toasted almond, all driven by steely acidity.

The Butcher’s Hill Chardonnay is a leading expression of Pooley Wines’ commitment to world-class, single-vineyard Tasmanian wine. Born from the steep, north-facing slopes of the historic Richmond site, the vineyard’s unique Dolerite soils provide the intense structural foundation that defines this Chardonnay.

Crafted from hand-picked fruit with meticulous, cool-climate vinification, the wine is aged in fine-grained French oak. This methodical approach yields a Chardonnay of rare elegance, crystalline purity, and inherent balance. It is a powerful, sophisticated expression of place, designed for both immediate pleasure and long-term cellaring.

Pooley Wines was first established in 1985 when Denis and Margaret Pooley planted vines on the banks of the Coal River in southern Tasmania. With seven rows of Pinot Noir and ten rows of Riesling planted on their 16-hectare farm at Cooinda Vale as a retirement plan, Denis and Margaret found a renewed vigour for life. A vineyard that started as nothing more than a distraction for Denis and Margaret soon flourished into a renowned premium cool-climate site.

With the help of their son and grandchildren, three generations of the Pooley family have continued to bring meticulous care to their Cooinda Vale vineyard. In 1989, Cooinda Vale’s unique microclimate and terroir yielded its first vintage with the quality and consistency of fruit, speaking to Margaret and Denis’s love and dedication shown to their property. Denis continued working in the vineyard until his passing in 1994.

In 2003, John Pooley and his wife Libby bought Belmont, a heritage-listed Georgian home on the outskirts of Richmond. Pooley Wines expanded their estate and established a second vineyard, Butcher’s Hill, with its first vintage produced in 2007.

Until the passing of Margaret Pooley in 2010, three generations of the Pooley family were working in the vineyards with John’s son, Matthew Pooley, taking on the responsibility as Viticulturist. With Margaret’s granddaughter, Anna Pooley returning to the family business in 2013, Pooley was made entirely by family hands from this point onward.

Now, more than 35 years after Pooley Wines was first established, the family’s philosophy of making wines that reflect their unique environment while pushing the quality of the grapes and the wines even further has continued.

2023 Winery of the Year Halliday Wine Companion
96 Points - Halliday Wine Companion