Chris Shanahan: Wine review – Holm Oak, Tasmania

Holm Oak The Protegé Tasmania Pinot Noir 2019 $25
Paint dries, grass grows and covid-19 lock-down drags on, relieved by two delicious Holm Oak pinots. Tim Duffy tends the vines, Bec Duffy makes the wine and over time their pinots evolved to deeper, richer, more textured styles. Medium-bodied Protegé brims with vibrant, varietal fruit aromas and flavours. But an underlying savour gives depth and interest to the palate, with fine, firm tannins completing the finish of a very good, reasonably priced pinot.

Holm Oak The Wizard Tasmania Pinot Noir 2018 $65
A deeper, darker wine, The Wizard delivers a broader spectrum of pinot varietal flavour than Protegé on a denser, more concentrated palate – a rich, chewy amalgam of fruit, savour and fine, strong tannins. The tannins combine spicy, lightly charry oak-derived elements (French oak) and silky fruit tannins. It’s medium bodied and lovely to drink now, but a few years’ bottle age should add an interesting new dimension.

Order online.