Sailor
Seeks Horse is a new name on the Tasmanian wine scene but the young
couple behind the label has already enjoyed considerable success.
Paul
and Gilli Lipscombe (he's English, she's a Queenslander) have worked
at wineries in the Languedoc, Margaret River, Oregon and New Zealand
and have day jobs at Home Hill, where they work both in the
vineyards and as winemakers.
They settled in the
Huon Valley after a nationwide search for the region they felt would
make the best pinot noir and bought a derelict vineyard at Cradoc,
which had been planted in 2005 and then abandoned.
“We
looked all over Tasmania for the place to produce the best pinot noir
and chardonnay; and we decided on the Huon,” they said. “Neither
too dry nor too wet, too warm nor too cold and with two of the
most-awarded vineyards in Tasmania (Elsewhere and Home Hill) nearby.
“Within
a few weeks of arriving, we stumbled upon a dilapidated north-east
facing 6.5 hectare vineyard. Opportunity beckoned. Half the vines
were dead, there were blackberry bushes above our heads and trees
growing all the way through; not-so-perfect.
“But
it wouldn’t be satisfying if it wasn’t challenging. That was one
of the reasons we decided to change our lives.”
The first release of
Sailor Seeks Horse has attracted a lot of attention. It is being
poured at high-end restaurants including Vue de Monde in Melbourne
and the Bentley Bar in Sydney and is on sale at the highly respected Prince Wine Stores in
both Sydney and Melbourne.
An leading British wine writer Matthew Jukes has heard of the buzz surrounding the wine and asked for a sample; so international recognition could be on the way.
The reaction to the
release of the 2013 Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot Noir has been both a relief
and a vindication of the Lipscombes' hopes and dreams - which include planting more vines, and eventually a winery and house on their property.
“When
you make a wine you hope that people will enjoy it, so having it on
so many top lists straight away has been extremely rewarding,” says
Paul.
The vineyard has beautiful views stretching to Huon River, and a good selection of clones, with young vines providing more options down the track.
And
what of the name? “There
was a handwritten sign on the wall at the Red Velvet Lounge in
Cygnet, our local cafe. It said: 'Sailor Seeks Horse' and went on to
explain that the author had sailed solo around the world and ridden
across the US from coast to coast and back again…on a mule. He’d
then decided he wanted to travel around Tasmania by horse but didn’t
have one. So, was there anyone who would lend him one?”
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