Behind the Top Drops: Meadowbank Pinot Noir

Behind the Top Drops

Meadowbank Pinot Noir

Owned by the Ellis family, Tasmania’s Meadowbank vineyard is a source of fruit for a range of Tasmanian wine brands, House of Arras and Bay of Fires among them. While the majority of the Derwent Valley vineyard’s production is lapped up by those brands, Meadowbank produces its own wines, with the label revived in 2015 when winemaker Peter Dredge came onboard as a partner and winemaker. One of those wines is the Meadowbank Pinot Noir. Peter, better known as Dredgy, combined with Meadowbank founder and vigneron Gerald Ellis and his daughter and current brand torch bearer Mardi to answer a few questions about the wine put by Sonya Logan.

Briefly tell us the Meadowbank story? Meadowbank has been our home and farm since 1976. In the earliest of days we were told you couldn’t really grow grapes in Tasmania because it was too cold, and that we would be better off putting lucerne in for our sheep. A bit of intuitive defiance got out of hand though, and we have added roughly 10 hectares a decade from the mid-1970s to the point where we now sit at around 50ha. There is the capacity (and demand!) for more, and something for us to look at as a family. Our first varieties were typical of the time — Riesling, Shiraz and….don’t laugh… Cabernet Sauvignon. In the 1980s we added Pinot and Chardonnay — obviously far more suited to our climate we now know — and beyond that, Pinot Meunier, Gamay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. We have reduced some plantings (there is no more Cabernet, for instance), and we are always looking at new varieties and/or clones. While Pinot Noir and Chardonnay will remain core, and we think cooler-climate Shiraz has an elegance worth pursuing and Chenin Blanc might be an interesting one to explore in the future, neither of which we currently grow. Who knows? That’s the challenge and fun of it. As far as the business is concerned, we own as a family the farm, vineyard and growing operation, and then sell fruit to ourselves as a separate business that our winemaker, Peter Dredge, is also a partner in.

Second generation custodian of Meadowbank Mardi Ellis with winemaker and wine business partner Peter Dredge.

All Meadowbank wines are made from estate-owned fruit?

Yes, all Meadowbank wines are made from grapes we grow ourselves. We are predominantly a grower, with around 50ha of vineyard hidden away up in the Derwent Valley. From this we select parcels of fruit that we like for making our various wines, including the Meadowbank Pinot Noir. These are typically older-vine material.

Just the one estate-owned vineyard then? Yes, that’s correct. The one farm and vineyard keeps us busy enough thanks! We did build a restaurant and cellar door, along with a smaller ‘show’ vineyard in the Coal Valley in the late ‘90s, although sold that to Frogmore Creek in 2010 to concentrate on the farm and expand the vineyard operation back here in the Derwent Valley.

The Ellis and Dredge families (from left) Gerald Ellis, Mardi Ellis, Alex Deane, Sue Ellis, Peter Dredge and Ella Nicolson and children.

The Meadowbank vineyard comprises around 50ha of vines in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley, including 24.5ha planted to a wide range of Pinot Noir clones. Most of the fruit for the Meadowbank label is from the MV6 clone selected from blocks that have consistently produced the best fruit over time.

Is the vineyard still the source of fruit for many other wine labels?

Yes. We have been very lucky to work with a number of very good winemakers (and people) over the years, providing fruit for labels other than Meadowbank: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier for Ed Carr at House of Arras, several different varieties for Penny Jones and the Bay of Fires team, Shiraz for Nick Glaetzer, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for Dawson & James, fruit for Peter Dredge’s own DrEdge label, etcetera.

I believe organic management of the vineyard was explored at some stage?

Yes, in the 1990s, initially trying steam to control under-vine weed growth. The machine we were able to hire was very bulky and too wide to fit down our rows so we had to abandon that. We then purchased an under-vine cultivator. Our soils are sandy loam podzols and we felt too much damage was done to vine surface roots, so again we had to recalibrate. At the same time we were only using organically acceptable sprays. This process took four years and although production decreased significantly in the first two years we eventually reverted to traditional methods due to the buildup of under-vine weeds at the time. We haven’t lost faith in organics though and for the last few years have not used herbicides, instead using a more sophisticated under-vine mower. We are now taking a more cautious and gradual approach to achieve organic status in the not too distant future. In the meantime, we continue to practice ‘sympathetic agriculture’.

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Onto the Meadowbank Pinot Noir, when was the first one made and when was it released?

Pinot was first planted at Meadowbank in 1987 to clones 2051 (D5V12). The first Pinot was released in 1993 — given that our nearest viticultural neighbour was 50km we were on a steep learning curve! The first Meadowbank Pinot Noir with Peter Dredge as partner and winemaker was 2016.

Tell us about the vines from those earlier releases?

Our relative isolation meant that clonal choice was guesswork. We chose a relatively close planting regime for those times — 2.1m wide rows and 1.5m between vines with VSP trellising — to keep it simple. All plantings were on own roots. Soils are sandy loams over clay and sandstone. Planting continued through the ‘90s moving onto slightly better soils.

How have the sources of fruit for the wine evolved since then?

Pinot seemed to enjoy being at Meadowbank so plantings continued in the late ‘80s. We discovered the clone MV6 which became the mainstay and seemed to produce fruit of exceptional quality. Due to the early success of the 1993 Pinot, further plantings were undertaken using MV6 clone and trials of other clones. By the mid ‘90s we had approaches from Ed Carr from the then Hardy Wine Company (now Accolade) to grow fruit for its sparkling wine range and further plantings were made and continued. By that time we had access to a wide range of clones and planted 114, 115, 386, 777, 667 and so on. Now the older blocks are used for the Meadowbank label and the balance sold.

Meadowbank now has 24.5ha planted to a wide range of Pinot clones. Most of the fruit for the Meadowbank label is from the MV6 clone selected from blocks that have consistently produced the best fruit over time. These are generally the older blocks though with newer clones being planted we are always trialling new areas. Give us another 100 years or so and we will have really worked out what clones and blocks consistently make the best wine!

Do the same vines in the vineyard usually provide the fruit for the wine or can that change from year to year? For the most part, the same vines. There is some discretion there for the winemaker to play with based on the season, but fruit mostly comes from the older Pinot Block MV6. This may or may not change over time as we continue to watch and learn.

Describe how the vines used to make the wine are managed: Given Meadowbank’s background (grazing property) we try and keep things as simple as possible. The soils are not very fertile so the vines seem to be naturally in balance meaning very little is done in the way of shoot trimming. Generally, we only do one vine trimming pass on the more vigorous blocks and some leaf plucking. Compost has been used on the vineyard for the last eight years, avoiding the need for inorganic fertilisers. Having said that, the move to avoid herbicides has resulted in a slight decrease in vigour as the vines rebalance with the under-vine competition.

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Any plans to change the fruit source? At this stage we are very happy with what we have. We are considering further expansion of the vineyard and are keen to see how different clones might perform. In the last four years we have gradually replaced some Sauvignon Blanc blocks with more Pinot Noir.

What is the average yield from the vines? The average yield from our Pinot Noir vines seems to sit comfortably around the 6t/ha. There is definitely a clonal difference in yields with MV6 being the shiest. We have had some good results from 777 from a yield and quality perspective. We are looking forward to seeing what happens with the 667 we have planted once the vines get a bit of age.

What was the intention behind the 2016 Pinot Noir – the first made under Peter Dredge’s guiding hand?

The intention was to explore. Of course, we want to do the best we can and allow the wine to reflect season and place in any given year, but it takes a first step to start that journey. We wanted to see what we could do.

Describe the current winemaking process that brings the wine to fruition?

Multiple passes over a week or two at picking brings a fresh acid line early. More mature flavours and rachis for whole cluster selection comes later. Together, these build complexity into the single vineyard wine. Natural (or wild) ferment and no fining agents illustrates clearly the impact of seasonal variation. Great for vertical tastings. Bottling occurs closer to nine months on lees as opposed to 18 months — bright and fresh.

Have the winemaking inputs changed over the years? Meadowbank Pinot Noir had a hiatus from 2010 to 2016 with the sale of the Coal Valley Vineyard to focus on the original Meadowbank vineyard in the upper Derwent Valley, so there’s some change by way of fruit resource, although this hasn’t changed since 2016. The first Meadowbank wines (Riesling, Shiraz, Cabernet from 1980) were bottled under cork, and continued to be so until screwcap became the preference in 2002. This continues to be the case. Ideally, our Pinot Noir spends six months in bottle minimum before release. The wine has been released later and also earlier than this, such is the nature of business at times.

Any further changes planned? Some newly planted (2015) Pinot Noir, comprising clones MV6, 667 and Abel, are on partly volcanic soil whereas the original plantings (1987) are on loose sand and or sandstone on coffee rock. This may be included in the blend or as a variation in its own right in the not too distant future.

How has the wine style evolved over the years? Picking times have been earlier based on climatic and stylistic factors. I would suggest the amount of new French oak has declined over the years to more clearly focus on the vineyard traits of the wine.

Biggest challenge in making this wine? Sadly, bushfire and smoke. The vineyard is planted next to a neighbouring national park as you head to the central highlands of Tasmania. Smoke has had a mild to devastating impact in the last decade with the entire vineyard crop written off in 2012 to a localised bushfire, and then the choice not to bottle our flagship Pinot Noir in 2019 due to larger bushfires in the south-west of the Tasmanian Wilderness

Gerald Ellis (centre) with daughter and second generation custodian of Meadowbank Mardi Ellis and winemaker and wine business partner Peter Dredge.

World Heritage Area that impacted much of Tasmania. Such events, of course, are a huge challenge.

Any years that it hasn’t been made? We didn’t make a Meadowbank-labelled Pinot Noir between 2010-2015 as we were solely focussed on growing through this time. We also chose not to make a Pinot Noir in 2019 in consideration of potential smoke taint risk from a significant bushfire to our west that year. While marginal, it was a choice we felt was appropriate.

What’s the recommended retail price of the Meadowbank Pinot Noir, approximately how much is produced each year and where is it sold

The 2021 Meadowbank Pinot Noir retails for $60. We only produce around 350 cases. We work with our friends at Bibendum Wine Company for distribution on the mainland. They do a great job maintaining relations with our on-premise and off-premise/retail partners. In Tasmania it is a very close community, and we are fortunate to work with trade while calling many of them friends at the same time. We also have a mix of options to connect with people directly, including our Long Lunch Experiences, unique events like The Meadowbank Open, and our wine club, ‘The Defiance’.

Most notable accolades?

In recent times, probably the trophy for best Pinot Noir at the Royal Sydney Wine Show a few years ago.

Best vintages? 2016 picked up a swag of awards, but in-house we would probably say ’17 and ’21. The marketing team will always say <insert current vintage here>!

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