Wine: Brian Croser Petaluma to Tapanappa

In a life dedicated to improving Australian wine, Brian Croser has been misunderstood and at times reviled.

In the course of a lifetime dedicated to improving the cause of Australian wine, Brian Croser AO has been frequently misunderstood and at times reviled. His daunting intelligence and the rigour of his analysis of any situation means his judgment is never clouded by sentiment or uncertainty. He speaks quietly, even when angry, unless he is watching his beloved Adelaide Crows.

The establishment of Petaluma with his wife Ann in 1976 was a high point for Croser, as was winning a battle with authorities anxious to prevent any winery in the Adelaide Hills. Low points were the fight to keep the (then) proposed WET tax to the minimum and the loss of Petaluma (acquired by Lion Nathan in 2001). Croser withdrew from wine industry politics in the late ’90s to become vice chancellor of Adelaide University, and in 2002 founded Tapanappa with Bollinger Champagne and the Cazes family of Bordeaux.

TWAM-20170701 EMBARGO FOR TWAM 1 JULY 2017NO REUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION2016 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay2015 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5m Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay2015 Tapanappa Fleurieu Peninsula Pinot Noir

Only one of Tapanappa’s wines is mainstream or traditional: chardonnay from the Tiers Vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills, its 4ha planted between ’79 and ’03. Next is the unfashionable Wrattonbully, near Coonawarra, where 7ha of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon were planted in 1974. Finally, there is the unique Foggy Hill pinot noir vineyard — unique because no one had previously thought to plant pinot noir on the southernmost tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It’s a bold, solitary play, and others are content to watch and see what comes of it.

Croser, who is deputy chairman of Wine Australia’s board, firmly believes that, given another decade, we will be on track to being a major competitor in fine wine with France. “I have no doubt,” he says, “that Australia will one day be the great fine wine producing country of the world in terms of total value and total volume of fine wine.” I absolutely agree.

2016 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay. Hand picked, chilled overnight, whole bunch pressed, matured for 10 months in French oak (30% new), mlf prevented. The complex but clean bouquet hints at the layers of flavour that duly appear on the palate ranging through stone fruit, fig and a hint of honey, the finish with crisp acidity. 13.8% alc, screwcap; 95 points, drink to 2026, $79

2015 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5m Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay. From a section of the Tiers Vineyard replanted in ’03 to different clones and with closer spacing. Citrus blossom and white peach aromas, a touch of mealy, nutty oak in the background. Ripe but restrained flavours, lovely line of fine acidity through the palate; fresh finish. 13.7% alc, screwcap; 95 points, drink to 2023, $55

2015 Tapanappa Fleurieu Peninsula Pinot Noir. Light, bright crimson; a beautifully fragrant wine, the use of 30% whole bunches a master stroke for an elegant and pure red-berried pinot strongly reminiscent of Volnay, Burgundy. Has transformed over the past 12 months. 13.4% alc, screwcap; 96 points, drink to 2024, $39