In 2012, Stargazer produced its first vintage. For the next few years, Samantha ( owner & winemaker) bought fruit from Huon Valley and Derwent. Yet, she felt that the Coal River Valley was the best place to produce the Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir she aimed for.

In 2016, her vision came true when she purchased an 11-hectare site in Coal River Valley. One hectare was planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Later, she added two more hectares of Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, with plans to plant another two hectares in 2021. Meanwhile, she continues to buy fruit from local growers as the new vines establish themselves.

Samantha now makes her wines at Pooley, just a few miles from her vineyard. Her wine range is both clear and well-defined. She uses wild fermentation, adds no acid, and applies oak sparingly. For her Pinot Noir, she employs extended skin contact and some whole bunch fermentation techniques.

Stargazer Pinot Noir is sourced exclusively from Stargazer’s own Palisander vineyard in the Tea Tree subregion of Coal River Valley. Two separate parcels of Pinot Noir, planted in 2002 and 2017 respectively.

Primarily brown dermosol on Jurassic dolerite, the plant material is combination of clones, the majority of which is G5Vl2 or Wadenswil. The 2022 also includes clones Abel, 115, 777 and MV6 from the blocks planted in 2017. It is all cane pruned and trained to a vertical shoot positioned canopy.

20% whole bunch with the remainder destemmed but not crushed. Cold soak for three days pre ferment. Post primary ferment the must is pressed off to French oak puncheons (Francois Freres, Mercurey and Ermitage), 25% new. 8 months elevage in oak with a further 10 weeks in tank.