2023 Recap & Member Update
Pictured: Chief Winemaker Liam McElhinney
As we head into the final few days of 2023, we would like to take the time to thank you for your ongoing support as a Lowestoft member.
The Lowestoft vineyard continues to be managed by renowned Tasmanian viticulturist Fred Peacock, with highly acclaimed Chief Winemaker Liam McElhinney producing the Lowestoft wines.
Under their expertise, the Lowestoft wines have gone from strength-to-strength, with our wines being awarded 7 Trophies and 19 Gold Medals in 2023, culminating in our 2022 La Maison Pinot Noir being awarded the Jimmy Watson Trophy at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards this year.
It has been an immense joy for our team to watch the Lowestoft name gain swift recognition amongst Australia's most elite wine critics since its inception a little over two years ago.
Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner
Our 2022 La Maison Pinot Noir won Australia's most prestigious and coveted wine award, the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for Best Young Red and the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards.
The 2022 La Maison was also awarded the James Halliday Trophy for Best Pinot Noir.
Following the announcement of the Jimmy Watson Trophy, the 2022 La Maison allocation has been officially exhausted. Please note that a very small volume of the 2021 La Maison is still available to purchase online.
A La Maison Legacy
The La Maison wines have now won the James Halliday Trophy for three consecutive years, with the 2020 and 2021 vintages also taking out this award in the previous two years of the awards. A third Trophy for 'Consistency of Excellence' was awarded to highlight the incredible run of awards the La Maison wines have had during this time.
These phenomenal results firmly establish La Maison as the most premium of Tasmanian and Australian Pinot Noir.
Since the La Maison wines were first released, they have won a combined total of 7 Trophies and 9 Gold Medals for the three vintages, as well as being crowned Pinot Noir of the Year in the Halliday Wine Companion 2023.
Lowestoft’s Chief Winemaker Liam McElhinney expressed how proud he was:
“It is a great honour for me and our winemaking and viticulture teams to be able to produce such amazing wines from the Lowestoft vineyard. This is a small 3-hectare site, densely planted in 1986 to 8,300 vines per hectare. The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy and the ‘three-peat’ James Halliday Trophy win shows the immense quality this vineyard produces year after year.
“We are immensely proud that the consistency of style we are capturing in the La Maison is setting a new benchmark for Australian Pinot Noir. Our success is Tasmania’s success, and we hope wine consumers will continue to appreciate how fantastic Tasmanian Pinot Noir is.”
97 Point Chardonnay Release
Our most recent release, the 2021 La Meilleure Chardonnay, was produced to sit alongside our La Maison Pinot Noir; these two Lowestoft icons represent the pinnacle of premium Tasmanian wine. This wine was highly reviewed upon release with 97 Points in the Halliday Wine Companion 2024:
"Pale straw in the glass with aromas of white peach, nectarine and grapefruit with a nice match/sulphide nuance and hints of soft spice, oatmeal, white flowers, nougat, lemon curd and clotted cream. There is impressive detail, clarity and composition here with a long, wonderfully expressive pure flow across the palate on rails of mineral and stone. A picture of tension and release. Beautiful drinking."
Official Release of the 2021 La Maison Pinot Noir
2023 saw the highly anticipated release of our 2021 La Maison – winner of the prestigious James Halliday Trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards last year.
The 2021 La Maison was also awarded 96 points in the Halliday Wine Companion 2024: "Pure red plum and dark cherry fruits strut their stuff here with hints of five-spice, sous bois, dried raspberry, cranberry, black tea and vanilla, with light roast game further in the distance. Savoury and true with excellent fruit depth and purity, chalky tannins providing support. I'd expect this to cellar admirably."
Following the monumental success of the 2021 La Maison, Chief Winemaker Liam McElhinney said: "We are immensely proud that the consistency of style we are capturing in the La Maison is setting a new benchmark for Australian Pinot Noir. The 2021 vintage is the strongest we’ve made yet. A stunningly ethereal, fragrant and lighter-framed season of dancing beauty."
Please note there is only a small volume of the 2021 vintage remaining to purchase online.
3 Trophies at the Royal Hobart Wine Show
We were thrilled to receive 3 Trophies at Tasmania's most prestigious wine show, the Royal Hobart Wine Show.
Our 2021 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir was awarded a Trophy for Best Individual Vineyard Wine and our 2020 Chardonnay was awarded 2 Trophies: the Bill Geeves Memorial Trophy for the Best Tasmanian White Wine and the Claudio Alcorso Trophy for Best Tasmanian Wine.
These wines are not yet released. Members who are signed up to receive updates from us will receive first access to these wines.
Sparkling Wines Highly Reviewed in the Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Lowestoft was featured among Erin Larkin's highest rated Tasmanian sparkling wines in her report for the internationally renowned wine publication, Robert Parker Wine Advocate earlier this year.
Our 2016 Grand Reserve and 2017 Rosé received some of the highest scores out of all the sparkling wines tasted, with 94 and 93 points respectively.
2016 Grand Reserve
"Complex and riddled with autolytic complexity. It has notes of beeswax, cheesecloth, preserved citrus, field mushroom, autumnal undergrowth (i.e., damp leaves, forest floor, etc.), star anise, stewed apple and even a hint of fresh sourdough. This is a very good, very fine, powerful wine."
94 Points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
2017 Rosé
"The 2017 Rosé Methode Traditionelle is pretty and layered with spicy strawberry, redcurrants, pink peppercorns and a sluice of briney acidity through the middle palate that shapes the course of the fruit. This is a lovely wine, really well done, super elegant. Impressive."
93 Points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Warm Regards from the Lowestoft Team
On behalf of the Lowestoft team, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for a successful 2024 full of good company and great wine.
Browse the current release Lowestoft wines online here.