Springvale Melrose Pinot Noir 2024

Aroma: Luscious cherry, wild red forest fruits, clove, and vanilla.

Palate: Rich with red and black berry fruits, balanced by supple tannins and fresh acidity.

Finish: Long, fresh, and vibrant, with an enticing, rolling finish.

The Springvale Melrose Pinot Noir 2024 is produced from hand-harvested Pinot Noir grapes, grown on Tasmania’s East Coast where the unique microclimate allows for slow ripening and the development of rich, complex flavours.

The vineyard’s vertical shoot positioning (VSP) system helps ensure optimal fruit exposure and even ripening. After harvest, the grapes undergo a careful fermentation process designed to retain the vibrant fruit aromas and flavours.

The wine is aged in a combination of new and seasoned French oak barrels, adding layers of spice and enhancing the smooth tannins, while preserving the fresh acidity that is the hallmark of cool-climate Pinot Noir. The result is a wine that is both approachable in its youth and capable of developing further elegance with time in the bottle.

Continuing in the tradition of hard work and innovation established by William Lyne in 1826, Rodney and Lyn Lyne have planted 14.5 hectares of wine grapes at Spring Vale, principally Pinot Noir.

The vineyard began in 1986 when a small area of 0.8 hectares were planted to Pinot Noir. Further plantings were made in the following years: firstly, more Pinot Noir, then Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer, followed by Pinot Gris in 1996. In 2000, more Pinot Noir and a splash of Pinot Meunier were planted. A further 7.9 hectares of Pinot Noir were then planted in 2013.

In June 2007, Spring Vale purchased a neighbouring farm, "Melrose". The purpose was to enable increased production of a lighter style red to be produced, with the first "Melrose" Pinot Noir being the 2008 Vintage.

The Freycinet Coast is the driest part of the state, with an average annual rainfall of 550mm. Warm days and cool nights are a result of this climate and ideal for slow ripening and excellent flavour development. The soil at Spring Vale is mostly a fertile clay loam, with the subsoil varying from porous friable loam with rock to medium-heavy clay. Drainage is excellent throughout the vineyard and the pH of the soil is around 6.5.

A modified Lyre ("U-shaped") trellis system is used in conjunction with vertical shoot positioning (VSP), while the blocks planted in 2000 and after have a simple VSP trellis. "Melrose" is entirely VSP. Vineyard operations are mostly carried out manually - pruning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking and harvesting, although a tractor-mounted pre-pruner is being used with great success, as well as a tractor-mounted leaf-plucker on many parts of the vineyard.