Description
When Paul & Gilli Lipscombe asked renowned wine writer Robert Joseph for some advice at the 2005 London International Wine Fair, it wasn’t quite the dose of reality many would expect. Thankfully, the husband and wife duo chose not to heed the advice, and undertook somewhat of a global adventure that ultimately led them to the Huon Valley, in southern Tasmania.
Following vintages in the Languedoc, France, the pair returned to Australia —Gilli being originally from Brisbane, with Paul from Essex, UK—and found themselves in Margaret River where they enrolled in viticulture and oenology courses. Their end goal was to find the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyard in Australia, and to that end managed vintages in Oregon and New Zealand whilst being based in Margaret River. After four years there, in 2010 the time felt right and they made the venture to the far south-east of the country to Tasmania. “Maybe we had enough experience, maybe not but you’ve got to take the plunge sometime.”
After scouring the state, they were convinced that the Huon Valley was it for them. It presented somewhat of the Goldilocks’ region for what they were looking for: neithertoo dry nor too wet; too warm nor too cool — it presented the perfect situation for producing table wine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, in a region where almost half the entire plantings are dedicated towards sparkling wine production. Within a few weeks of arriving, they stumbled upon a dilapi dated 6.5ha vineyard, planted in 2005 then sadly left to abandonment only a couple of years later. Far from a picture perfect initial status—half the vines were dead, wild blackberry bushes ran taller than the 6ft–plus tall Paul and with almost a hundred trees littered the vineyard—it had the framework for a truly amazing vineyard.
“The greatest viticultural challenge I have ever seen” was the assessment of the viticultural liaison officer for one of the big wine companies. When someone who sees a variety of vineyards every day says something like that it makes you wonder if you’ve done the right thing…luckily he followed it up with, “if it was anywhere else you wouldn’t bother but this site is definitely worth it”– Paul & Gilli Lipscombe
Its north-east facing slope, providing shelter from the prevailing cold south-westerly wind, was planted to six different clones of Pinot Noir, along with some Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese & Nebbiolo. That trio along with the most drought-affected areas of Pinot Noir plantings were grubbed up and replanted with 2 hectares of Chardonnay. Continuing the multi-clonal approach of the Pinot plantings, they planted four Dijon clones of Chardonnay: 277, 75, 95 and 96. Paul & Gilli’s approach is simple yet focussed: to grow the best quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay possible. Across the vineyard, plantings are at 4,000 vines per hectare. T he region averages 700mm of rain, which sits at a perfect amount to avoid irrigation usage a key element they believe that supresses true site expression and dulls the vintage’s vagaries.
The work in the cellar is complementary to their measured organic working in the vineyard. Fermentations occur spontaneously, without any additions required through the winemaking process. The only additive is sulphur, when needed. The Pinots see very little, if any, whole bunch inclusion. Oak usage is kept in check, with extended elevage key to helping the wines seamlessly knit together. Time is key, with the wines only coming to market 2 years after vintage.
The pair’s work has previously extended beyond just the Sailor Seeks Horse label. In 2015, Paul won the Jimmy Watson—Australia’s most coveted wine award given out to ‘Best Young Red Wine’ at the Melbourne Wine Show—for the Home Hill Kelly’s Reserve Pinot Noir 2014: no small feat in being only the second ever Pinot Noir to win in more than 50 years of the Jimmy Watson being awarded! Their focus now is solely upon the Sailor Seeks Horse vineyard and label.
If you’ve managed to make it this far, you must be wondering where on Earth the name came from…
“There was a handwritten sign on the wall at the Red Velvet Lounge in Cygnet, our local coffee and cake respite from the Tasmanian weather. 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? If they didn’t ha ve a horse then a pony would do. It was an idea that resonated with us. Here we were, trying to do something a little bit crazy, without much money and requiring a little bit of help to get to where we wanted to be. We loved the use of language and the rhythm of the wording and for some reason it stuck with us. When it came time to naming our vineyard, Sailor Seeks Horse just felt right. For us, it’s about not being pigeon-holed in life, it’s about doing something you really want to do and seizing the moment and just doing it.”
Having followed Paul & Gilli’s wines from their inaugural vintage in 2013, the quality has been top tier from their very first releases and continues to only grow as they further come to know the vineyard and continually make improvements. The painful aspect of the wines has always been their minute quantities: allocations are snapped up immediately within Australia. After several years of pestering Paul, we’re pleased to have a small amount available for Singapore. Their modern style showcase a side of Australian wines rarely seen outside the country.
