The Holyman release marks an especially thrilling time of the year, when winter coats are stowed away, and the sweet smell of spring fills the air. Birds are chirping, and a gentle gurgling sound is heard from afar, as Joe Holyman emerges from his Tamar Valley shed, ready to introduce the fruits of his labour.
2023 presented its fair share of challenges, but it ultimately shaped up to be a remarkable vintage. The warmer weather resulted in wines that are approachable yet layered with complexity – an honest reflection of their terroir. Nestled just 20 minutes from Launceston in Northern Tasmania, Joe and Lou Holyman’s family vineyard boasts plantings that date back to 1986. Here, the focus is on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both crafted with a meticulous attention to detail that underscores the vineyard’s commitment to producing wines with exceptional length and ageing potential.
Sustainable farming and minimal intervention are at the heart of Holyman wines. The vineyard’s practises allow the natural characteristics and flavours of the grapes shine, resulting in wines that speak eloquently of time and place. Lou & Joe Holyman are emblematic of the type of honest, passionate and bloody brilliant people that make everything truly worthwhile. This year’s release is a testament to their unwavering dedication to the land they live and breathe. The wines are engaging, thought-provoking, and, above all, an absolute delight to drink.
Like all treasures, these wines are sadly produced in very small quantities.
2023 Holyman Chardonnay $64 RRP *6 bottle limit
The 2023 Holyman Chardonnay is all from our 0.75 Ha Chardonnay block that was planted in 1986. We have always been committed to only old vine fruit going into the Holyman wines which means that we will never be able to make more of this Chardonnay than we do now. The grapes are 100% whole bunch pressed straight to new 500l French oak puncheons. Every year we use the same coopers, same forest and the lightest toast on the barrels. The ferments are all natural, and are stirred twice a day until the ferments finish. Once the ferments are finished we add SO2 to stop the wines going through malolactic fermentation as we prefer the natural acidity here in Tasmania to be at the forefront. – Joe Holyman
Here’s a very fine iteration of Holyman Chardonnay. There’s a whisper of struck match, some oyster shell, white nectarine, lemon zest, grapefruit, some lightly toasty cinnamon oak, with some vanilla nougat too. It’s crisp with cool acidity, quite saline, lemon biscuits, grapefruit and green melon, a nougat gloss, a fine grip of chalky texture, and a very long spicy finish. Terrific. Give it another year or so to settle in. 96 points. Gary Walsh, The Winefront Sep 2024
2023 Holyman Pinot Noir $64 RRP *12 bottle limit
As always the Holyman Pinot comes from a block of old vines called Jack. Its 75% hand selected whole bunch due to the season, and we use 30% new French oak Barriques. The fruit is hand picked and our well trained pickers do all our fruit sorting in the vineyard. After 7 days of cold soak the wine is naturally fermented and no additions are made except for Sulphur as a preservative. Light in colour, but full of flavour. Typical forest floor and hints cranberry and red cherry. The palate has all the hallmark red-fruits, hints of mushroom and a complexing smoky oak edge. The beautiful, chalky tannin from the whole bunch component perfectly complement the fresh fruits. It was bottled without being fined or filtered.
Cherry, blueberry, violet and dried roses, black tea, a damp earthy almost truffle-like edge, some pencilly and spicy oak. It’s medium-bodied, but only just, cherry, raspberry and earthy spice set in a cool ‘mineral’ framework, tannin has a gently grainy sooty edge, and the finish is very long. This is a beautiful wine, and so distinctive. I love it. Echoes of Burgundy from a bygone era, perhaps, though don’t mind me. Yes. 95+ points. Gary Walsh, The Winefront Sep 2024
2022 Holyman Project X Pinot Noir $91 RRP *6 bottle limit
The 2022 season was a warm one for us, with the warm days moving into warm nights which kept the fruit ripening. Our earliest start ever! The fruit for the Project X comes from a block we like to call Boris. It is all hand picked and our well trained pickers do all our fruit sorting in the vineyard and for this wine they only select perfect bunches with well lignified stalks allowing us to make this 100% whole bunch, 100% new oak wine.
One of the things I love about our whole bunch wines is that they always have less colour than our other wines and the fruit characters are always in the brighter fruits. Fresh Raspberry and Strawberry on the nose. The palate is clean and structured with the usual hints of Campari, with the underlying intensity of the stalk tannin. One to be cellared for many years. It was bottled without being fined or filtered. – Joe Holyman