Tolpuddle

The long wait is over. We are pleased to offer the 2023 Tolpuddle Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Vera.

Review on the Chardonnay: "The 2022 vintage will be very hard act follow, I tell myself, as I brace for disappointment. And then it hits like a vampire smelling its prey, pupils dilate and I am utterly captivated. Perfectly ripe lemons, peach sorbet and fresh linen billowing on the hills hoist. Whipped meringue cream, honeysuckle and bee pollen. Oak? What oak, yes it is there, with arches of cinnamon, fresh sawdust and hazelnut praline. But the fruit, oh the fruit reins supreme! It tickles the corners of your palate just where it should. Provides ample natural acidity and clean young almond milk creaminess on the finish. There is shale and river stone and the under current of not quite fathomable things, all at work to make you beg for another glass. With two wines that are so totally convincing, the magic of the Tolpuddle vineyard is real. Drink with prawn Har Gow dumplings and die happy."
98 POINTS, Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot

Review on the Pinot: "This vintage strikes out again with suprise and intrigue, just when you think the S+S winemaking team have got the recipe right, the vineyard shows you another side entirely. Here it’s witches brew of jarred and dried aromatica. Blackberries, dark cherries, juniperand sloe berries. A bouquet of garrigue herbs, pine and poppy seeds. There is a harmony between the dark fruit and ripe herbal notes. Its a different shape entirely than what’s come before it and i’m feelin it. Savoury oak tannins support the woodsy style of black fruit. It’s a very tailored wine and has found a nice balance in a very cool vintage. Striking harmony between spice, cassis and oak. A hint of medicinal, and a luxurious almost syrupy in its richness on the palate. Serious stuff. This would be ideal with pink lamb and chermoula."
95 POINTS, Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot