I love the notes Brian Croser shares about each vintage. He introduces 2025, “as a weak, wobbly Antarctic vortex allowed a pressure system to escape near the Australian continent. The result was the warmest, driest and earliest vintage of my 56-year winemaking career.”
These 44-year-old vines were hand-picked, whole bunch pressed and sent to French oak (one third new). Fermentation took two months, and the wine sat on full lees for eight months.
Drenched in interest as these Tapanappa wines tend to be, barbecued peach, caramelised white fleshed nectarines, pineapple, dehydrated mango and figs lay a most welcome and solid platform. Popcorn, brioche, creme brulee creaminess and roasted cashews continue to add detail with ease. The longer it sits, the more I pick up a caramel drop and a vanilla custard creaminess. Fine ginger spices frame the edges, underpinning the moreishness on offer. A wine with great shape and texture despite being a different expression from those previous, this Tiers 2025 still flies the Tiers flag proudly.