Lowestoft 2022 Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir awarded Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024

Lowestoft 2022 Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir awarded Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024

We are absolutely thrilled that our 2022 Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir has received a highly coveted Best in Show award at the world’s most recognised wine show, the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024.

Out of 18,000 entries, just 50 Best in Show medals were awarded this year, accounting for the top 0.27% of the world's wines.

The 2022 Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir was awarded 97 points – the highest score given at this year’s show and was one of only two Pinot Noir wines to be awarded a Best in Show. 

Chief Winemaker Liam McElhinney is ecstatic about this result and said:

“This recent award follows last year's remarkable achievements; we were crowned Best Pinot Noir in Australia following the award of the Jimmy Watson and James Halliday trophies at the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards. To now be recognised on an international level as producing one of the best Pinot Noir wines in the world, reaffirms the exceptional place that Tasmania is, and the extraordinary quality of the fruit we are privileged to work with each year.

"The Jacoben vineyard is somewhat of an anomaly – it is a very special vineyard and at 0.5 hectares, it’s a tiny parcel of land planted solely to Pinot Noir. Every year we are fortunate to have another opportunity to capture its remarkable purity and depth of flavour. This wine has always spoken very clearly of its place; it’s always brooding, yet exceptionally pure in its fruit expression.

"Situated on a south-facing slope along the lower Derwent River, in the coolest part of a warm sub-region, this vineyard imparts the rare and elusive combination of power and finesse. I vividly recall tasting the 2022 vintage straight from the press and remarking just how phenomenal it was. It continues to be one of our greatest wines and this Decanter Best in Show only confirms my belief in its excellence."

This year's show saw more than 18,000 entries from 57 countries, been tasted by 243 expert judges, including 61 Masters of Wine and 20 Master Sommeliers. A Best in Show was only awarded to 50 wines or 0.27% of the entries this year.

Naming Burgundy and Australian Pinot Noir among his highlights of the day, Regional Chair Stefan Neumann MS said: "The overall quality of these wines is just outstanding. It was such a joy to judge; we were running out of superlatives of what to call them, so really, really good."

Judges also said: “Prior to 2024, we’ve never had a Tasmanian Pinot in our Best in Show selection. This year we have two.”

We are offering this award-winning wine as part of a Single Vineyard Vertical 6-Pack alongside the following Single Vineyard Pinot Noir:

  • 1x 2019 Norfolk Bay
  • 1x 2020 Jacoben
  • 1x 2021 Woodlands
  • 1x 2022 Glengarry
  • 2x 2022 Jacoben

Shop all Lowestoft wines here.

2022 Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir

97 Points

"The second of this year’s outstanding 2022 Tasmanian Pinot Noirs comes from the Derwent Valley, just to the north of Hobart and in the rain shadow of Mount Wellington. The region can be drought-susceptible in warm summers, but in the wetter season of 2022 its site stood it in good stead. This is a darker wine that its pan-Tasmanian peer, but beautifully crafted: singing red fruits without any shadowing from oak, and with the intrinsic grace and charm of the Derwent Valley’s fruit well to the fore. On the palate, it is pure, bright and mouthfilling, packed with juicy raspberry; both tannins and acids are soft and sustaining. They nourish and ease the gorgeous fruit core through the palate to a gently subsiding finish. There’s just a touch of tarry complexity behind those fruits. Virtuoso work from a Pinot region of extraordinary promise."

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