Lowestoft La Meilleure Chardonnay 2021

In the late 1800s, Tasmania's vineyards faced a stark fate as many were uprooted, deemed too cold for wine grape production, while workers flocked to the Victorian gold rush. It wasn’t until the mid-1950s that Claudio Alcorso breathed new life into the Tasmanian wine industry, planting 90 Riesling vines sourced from David Wynn in South Australia. By 1976, Alcorso, along with the Pirie brothers, established the first Pinot Noir vineyard in the region.

In 1986, Bernard McKay, then owner of Lowestoft, was invited to plant vines for Alcorso’s Moorilla Winery, located on the site that is now Mona. The 3-hectare plot was dedicated entirely to Pinot Noir, using cuttings from Moorilla. Following the sale of Moorilla, viticulturist Fred Peacock began sourcing some of Lowestoft's grapes for his Bream Creek Reserve Pinot Noir, with the remainder sold to Treasury Wines and others. Fast forward to 2017, when Peter Fogarty, founder and Executive Chairman of Fogarty Wine Group, turned his passion for world-class Pinot Noir towards Tasmania’s cool climate. It was during this period that Fogarty first recognized the historic Lowestoft property, ultimately acquiring it in 2019, alongside two other esteemed vineyards - Strelley Farm and Gilling Brook.