Recognition

Brian Croser is the man behind the iconic Australian winery Petaluma – now part of the Lion Nathan Group. He moved on to create Tapanappa with the Bizot Family of Bollinger fame and the Cazes family from Chateau Lynch-Bages. Croser …

A great mention from the great Hugh Johnson about out 2009 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir in the latest edition of World of Fine Wine. Hugh in his regular coups de coeur section writes:

So have any new wines given me

On Monday night (the 21st) in the multi-faceted Leonard French Grand Hall of the National Gallery of Victoria we were treated to a tasting of international Pinot Noirs reflecting and refracting the spectrum of hues, aromas, flavours and palate architecture …

This happened a while ago but we forgot to put it upon the site (my bad, S).

Our 2009 Foggy Hill Pinot Noir was rated equal top Australian Pinot, in the Five Nations Wine Challenge, just being notched out …

Brian Croser, one of Australia’s most respected winemakers, has been on a mission to find the perfect spot to grow pinot noir in Australia. He settled on the Fleurieu Peninsula on the tip of Sotuh Australia, and the result, while …

Brian Croser raised a few eyebrows with his inaugural 2007 Foggy Hill, sourced from a region barely associated with top shelf Australian wine, let alone pinot noir. Then, with his follow up from 2008, Croser showed the capabilities of his …

Good medium-depth colour; a very savoury briary style, with texture and structure its strengths; needs time to show whether there is enough pinosity (a Croser word) at its heart.

91 points / 4.5 glasses

Drink by 2015…

Not surprisingly, Kiwi’s aren’t the only ones producing silky smooth wines Down Under. For an absolute corker, try Tapanappa, Foggy Hill Pinot Noir 2009, Adelaide Hills [Ed: Fleurieu Peninsula], South Australia. The colour of morello cherries, it’s produced by one …

Young vine Pinot rarely flatters, but these six-year-old vines are finding their place. The cooler 2009 season provided tart acidity which underlines lifted rose petal perfume and precise red cherry palate.

It’s honed, fresh and expressive.

93 Points…

2008 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay

Brian Croser lives alongside the superb Tiers vineyard in the Adelaide Hills and coaxes one of the country’s finest chardonnays from its 30-year-old vines. This has restraint and fruit purity, wonderful texture and bright, refreshing acidity.…

2009 is young for a flash pinot but what’s a man to do? We’re not camels. Young but you can see the makings … if only we had another bottle. 8.9/10…

Made by the Australian-French Tapanappa partnership, this wine from South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula sums up pinot noir’s sappy mystery well. Aromas of flowers, dark-cherry jam, forest earth and seamlessly integrated spicy oak lead through a satiny, medium-bodied mouthful with a …

I’ve had this open for a day and a half now and only now is it looking at it’s best. In fact, yesterday afternoon when I first opened the bottle I was left thinking ‘what did I see in this …

The establishment of Tapanappa could be the most exciting thing to ever happen to South Australian pinot noir. After following up his first vintage (2007) with a much improved wine from 2008 (94pts), Brian Croser has set the bar even …

Louise Radman selects food-friendly wines for lush summer celebrations

2009 Tapanappa Foggy Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir

Serious and sensual with the poise of a cool maritime climate where the fog rolls in off the Great Southern Ocean.

Aromatics of fresh …

A step up on the 2008 edition, this has a veneer of creamy, spicy oak sitting across nicely ripened dark-cherry fruits and meaty complexity. The palate’s open and supple, with easily legible tannin detail: dark-cherry and blueberry flavours, bright acid …

Brian Croser is one of Australia’s most influential winemakers, and he has invested heart and soul into this vineyard on SA’s Fleurieu Peninsula. This is the third vintage from what Croser has deemed a “distinguished site” and it’s regarded as …

Brian Croser chose one of the coolest, dampest spots on the Fleurieu Peninsula to plant pinot noir vines after identifying Foggy Hill as a “distinquished site.” The veteran winemaker’s faith has been rewarded with delightful 2009; ethereal aromas are followed …

I’ve watched this Pinot develop over three vintages and as the vines age, this Pinot gets better and better, so I guess belief in a site is really worth it, I suppose Brian Croser being the winemaker does no harm …

Well I suppose if you have to have one you might as well have a good one: lovely cork.

Creamy caramel tinged oak and a mix of cherry, plum and raspberry fruit with a slight rosy fragrance. Mid-weight with a …

Tapanappa is a South Australian-based consortium comprising the legendary Australian winemaker Brian Croser of Petaluma fame and two French partners, including Champagne Bolinger. From the specialy selected Foggy Hil vineyard on the Fleurieu Peninsula, this is perfectly poised pinot with …

I’ve banged on before about the quality of the Tapanappa range, particularly the Tiers Chardonnay, and I recently had the opportunity to put this quality to the test, with Brian Croser putting on a masterclass that pitted the Tapanappa wines …