Dawson & James Chardonnay 2011

It’s a conversation that every group of friends will invariably have at some point in their relationship, usually at 2am after a couple of glasses of Pinot – “you and me, we should just quit our jobs and… and start a wine venture together!” Prompting a fevered business plan to be drawn up on a cocktail napkin focused primarily on grape based puns.

The biggest difference for Peter Dawson and Tim James, is they actually went through with it! Undertaking this venture together was the culmination of a 30-year friendship and one that has clearly paid off when approaching this premium Tasmanian Chardonnay. A nose of bright lemon and grapefruit carries onto a tightly woven citrus, leesy and mineral palate that is lingering yet moreish. If this wine is any barometer of friendship enterprises, it may be time to dig out that napkin business plan!
Peter Dawson and Tim James are winemakers who have always been driven by quality and innovation.

The two friends met in Adelaide in 1976: Peter Dawson was a
21-year-old science student from Geelong whose first job in the wine sector was as a cellar hand with Thomas Hardy & Sons, working at their Mile End winery, where Tim James was the Production Winemaker.

They struck up a remarkable friendship that has spanned three decades, working together for 20 years at Hardys before moving on to new horizons. With a collective winemaking experience of more than 70 years, their interest in wine is much more than purely professional, and it was inevitable that at some point down the track, the two would work in collaboration.
Grapes are grown on the Meadow Bank vineyard in Tasmania, approximately 60km northwest of Hobart. Its rugged topography is bounded by the fast flowing, pristine waters of the Derwent River.
Property owners Gerald and Sue Ellis established the first plantings in 1974 and the vineyard holds a special place in the history of Tasmanian viticulture.
The vineyard is at an elevation of 70 metres above the river and has a north-easterly aspect, optimal for capturing sunlight and ripening the grapes.
Soils range from brown loams to sandy loams over structured clays and sandstone rock. They are of a ‘devigorating’ nature, contributing to balanced growth and good vine structure. Yields are controlled to less than 6 tonnes per hectare.
Grapes were hand picked and wholebunch pressed. Free run juice was transferred to oak sources from Bugundian cooperages. Primary fermentation in oak was followed by partial malolatic fermentation. The wine remained in oak for nine months when a selection of barrels was made for the final blend.