Dalrymple’s pinot noir pleasures
Huon Hooke in New and Noteworthy Become a member to view this article
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Dalrymple chief winemaker Pete Caldwell. South World Wines
Pete Caldwell is a Tasmanian native who knows his way around the island state. The chief winemaker at Dalrymple, in the Pipers River subregion, he has worked in New Zealand at Te Kairanga, in Martinborough, and then Josef Chromy in Tasmania before coming to Dalrymple 15 years ago. He is in charge of both winemaking and viticulture.
Like other leading makers in Tassie, Pete Caldwell is focusing on small-production, terroir-focused pinot noirs for the top-end Dalrymple pinots.Dalrymple was founded by Bert and Anne Sundstrup in 1987 and acquired by Hill-Smith Family Vineyards (owner of Yalumba, Jansz, Pewsey Vale and other brands) in 2007.
Like other leading makers in Tassie, Pete Caldwell is focusing on small-production, terroir-focused pinot noirs for the top-end Dalrymple pinots. These are labelled Dalrymple Single Site Pinot Noir. From the 2023 vintage there’s Pipers River, Coal River Valley and Ouse. (In 2022 there was also an East Coast pinot from Swansea, but not in 2023.)
“I make 40 pinot noirs, and they all stay in their own barrels till the end,” he explains.
Everything is standardised so that terroir and clone are the only variables between the different wines. To that end, the single site pinots are all given 35 to 40% new oak and around 15% whole-bunch fermentation. They’re all priced at AUD $70.
At the top of the pyramid is a single-block wine: Mt Lord, which is AUD $130. It’s the only wine that is cork sealed (with a Diam), all the others being screw capped.
Dalrymple Single Site Pipers River Pinot Noir 2023
Made from D5V12 clone, with a little 115.
Dalrymple Single Site Coal River Valley Pinot Noir 2023
Made from clones 114 and 115. The vineyard has been managed with “mostly organic practices” for six years, but not certified.
Dalrymple Single Site Ouse Pinot Noir 2023
A grower’s vineyard. Made from the MV6 clone.
Dalrymple Mt Lord Pinot Noir 2023
A special part of the company’s Coal River Valley vineyard, 60 metres higher than the main vineyard, steep and rocky.
“It took a lot of effort to get this working,” says Pete.
“It’s a hard site, exposed to the wind and elements, and late ripening. It’s D5V12 clone, on dolerite soil on the slope of Mt Lord itself. Small yields of small berries.”
This is the former Frogmore Creek vineyard, organic, experimental, planted by Tony Scherer at an altitude of 134 to 156 metres. The wine has very good concentration and density, stuffing, and is quite muscular, and promises to have a long life.
“It’s probably only 500 metres from one vineyard to the other but it’s harvested about two weeks later than the rest.”
Dalrymple Single Site Pinot Noir
