Stargazer Tupelo 2023 (6 Bottles) Coal River Valley, Tasmania

AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

Despite the fact that so often these styles of textured aromatic white blends end up hidden away in the ‘Other varietals’ section of a wine list or cellar Stargazer’s Tupelo continues to be loved by trade and consumer alike. So much so much of the volume is allocated on release. We hope for more production in the coming years as more of Samantha’s younger plantings in Tea Tree come online.

The blend of the 2023 is 41% Pinot Gris, 28% Pinot Blanc, 26% Riesling, and 5% Gewürztraminer. This unusual blend mirrors the famous Alsatian ‘Gentil’ styles marrying the body and texture of Pinot Gris, exuberance of the Pinot Blanc with the spicy aromatics of Gewürztraminer and finishing with the finesse and acid structure of Riesling. That’s straight from Samantha’s own words The name Tupelo was inspired by the Tupelo black gum, of which its honey is highly sought after for its unique characteristic of having the perfect balance of sugars that it doesn’t crystallise.

Samantha’s passion for white blends and the drive to find the perfect balance of sugar, acid and texture with her wines makes the naming of this wine perfect. Plus it’s the name of a Van Morrison song ‘Tupelo Honey’ and the place where Elvis was born. Given the praise this wine has received in recent vintages l’d say it’s keeping up with its heady namesake.

Samantha highlights how delicious Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer taste straight off the vine in Coal River Valley, so much flavour in the skins. All of the component varietals are sourced from the Coal River Valley from differing sub regions, Richmond, Tea Tree and Campania.

All the grapes are hand picked, destemmed. Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc & Riesling are left on skins for approximately 8 hours then pressed off to seasoned oak for wild ferment. Gewurztraminer is left a little longer or skins pre-ferment for 2 days. All varietals are left on lees for 3.5 months with lees stirring every two weeks.