Apsley Gorge

Established in 1988 this tiny vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir (5.5 hectares) and Chardonnay (1 hectare) and is located several kilometres inland from the coast near the entrance to the Apsley Gorge national Park north-west of Bicheno. The vineyards unique situation near the entry to the gorge brings breezes in the afternoon which have a distinct cooling effect which means this vineyard is typically one of the last to harvest in Tasmania with harvest usually being around the first week of May. This micro-climate is unique for the east coast.

Since 1999 winemaking has been undertaken by owner Brian Franklin who also does vintage each year in Burgundy with Philippe Charlopin (himself mentored by his friend Henri Jayer) in Gevrey Chambertin, and is helped here in Tasmania by young French winemakers including Philippe Charlopin’s son Yann. Including vintages undertaken in France Brian now has almost 40 vintages of wine-making experience in both France and Australia.

Always aiming for full phenolic ripeness the style of wines produced are rich and intense wines characterised by fully ripe fruit made using Burgundian know-how with texture and finesse and excellent natural acidity, without excessive extraction or heaviness. Produced very naturally with only a small percentage of new oak (maximum 30%) each year these are very individual wines of great class and structure that drink very well when young yet also age and evolve over a decade or more for the Pinot Noir.

‘The results at Apsley Gorge are wines, and especially Pinot Noirs, that brilliantly express spirit of place, a Tasmanian terroir through Burgundian technique – richly flavoured, complex Pinot Noirs, with soft tannins, that are an ode to the splendours of late autumn fruit.’ Konrad Muller, A Burgundian odyssey, Decanter, February 2019.

2025 Chardonnay - VERY limited
From just 1 ha of fully mature vines the total wine produced is often little more than about 100 dozen bottles. In 2025 this has been augmented with some fruit locally from a mature vineyard which Brian knows well. 2025 was a warmer more generous year for the east coast of Tasmania and the wine shows finesse and acidity together with its trademark generosity and richness and immediate pleasure to the benefit of the finished wine. Rich bright and intense with wonderful texture and depth this will drink well young and also age gracefully for 5-10 years if given time.

”This would have to be one of the best chardonnays to come from Apsley Gorge vineyard. There is a clean, pure, varietal chardonnay nose, hinting at the richness that comes with that initial taste. This is what great chardonnay is all about. Chardonnay, the queen of all great white wines. Some subtle French oak underlying a textured mouthfeel that doesn’t end. The purity, the expression, the complexity. Only just bottled this wine has amazing potential considering the fruit/acid balance it has now.” Brian Franklin, Owner and Winemaker.

‘18 years ago we pulled out a hectare of chardonnay.  Do you remember ABC (anything but chardonnay)?  We have since planted a hectare. The vines now have some age and are cropping at a reasonable level. The 2024 wines are showing their character enhanced by the fruit from the older vines, some now  35 years old. This wine is not fined or filtered and is showing a warm golden colour. The nose, rich and satisfying as befitting the Queen of wines. There is malo in this wine but it is a background component and adds to the richness without dominating.  Pure chardonnay fruit is what this wine is about. The palate is rich, with focus and tension.  Also there is a  minerality not normally seen in Apsley Gorge. Why did we pull out chardonnay? This wine is a cracker!’ Brian Franklin, Owner and Winemaker.

‘Today, Franklin looks less maverick than seer, as Burgundian methods have become more frequently applied to Pinot Noir in Australia. Critical acclaim has also come, and Apsley’s cult wines sit comfortably in the premium price range for Australian Pinot Noir (on a par with Burgundy premier cru).’ Konrad Muller, A Burgundian odyssey, Decanter, February 2019.

2025 Pinot Noir
2025 marks a return to more normal vintages after several very wet and challenging years. The vineyard is located away from the coast nearly 10 kilometres drive inland right beside the Douglas Apsley National Park just north of Bicheno. Here the cool air spills out of the hills from the Apsley River which runs around the western side of the property. In warm vintages this helps to keep the nights fresh and enable harvesting later than much of the state as Brian looks for full phenolic ripeness before picking. Owner/winemaker Brian Franklin feels this is one of his best vintages yet.

Fruit was picked while cool at 10c and was 100% destemmed to whole berries and given cold soak for two and half weeks with natural yeast ferment for 4-5 days before being pressed to barrel. After picking the fruit it gets a very light spray with liquid sulphur otherwise no sulphur additions during ageing and bottled with 15 ppm ending up with about 10 ppm free in the final wine. (In France wines with less than 30 ppm S02 free are deemed vins sans SO2.) About 1/3rd new oak with barriques from a mix of coopers mostly Francois Freres, Seguin Moreau and Tonnellerie Centre France for 14 months before blending in preparation for bottling unfined and unfiltered in July 2026. As always serve cool in large glass and aeration and decanting is recommended.

‘On pouring the first thing you notice is the colour. A deep ruby red, full of promise. This wine is not fined or filtered, yet it  is bright and crystal clear. The nose, mysterious and deep with underlying ripe pinot fruit. No bracken or green character here. The palate has a textured entry, mouth filling and rich. The long, persistant  finish has just enough acid to really make this wine sing. Sit back and enjoy the performance. This wine has depth in its colour, on the nose and the palate. A standout Apsley Gorge. A return to the good old days, plus some’ Brian Franklin, Owner and Winemaker.

2023 Pinot Noir
‘2023 was a challenging year. The pinot fruit achieved good phenolic ripeness while hiding the berry characteristics under some very firm tannins. We pushed it through a very long cold soak to express more varietal fruit. The wine is initially closed, with some funky notes , and then opens up to show complex pinot character. This wine will fully reveal itself once decanted.’ Brian Franklin, Owner and Winemaker.

2022 Pinot Noir (Magnums Only)
The 2022 Pinot is reminiscent of the 2013 Pinot.  A very intense yet fine wine, it is a product of the cooler more typical Tasmanian vintage, with a long slow ripening. The nose shows rich, dark fruit with some cigar box and sous bois character. On tasting you immediately sense the mouth filling texture with that ethereal pinot fruit that goes on and on. As always decanting is recommended.

‘The colour is similar to the 2021 belying a mysterious intensity of nose and palate . This is a fruit driven wine on the nose but with that underlying Apsley Gorge complexity from the indigenous yeast. There is mouth filling richness from the purity of the pinot fruit with the texture of the subtle tannins ,that continues into that classic long finish.’ Brian Franklin, Owner and Winemaker.