Westella

After meeting at Roseworthy and making wine in the Barossa for over a decade (he at St Hallett, she at Charles Melton), Willy and Jacquie Adkins returned to Willy’s native Tasmania in ’02 so he could take up the role of general manager at Tamar Ridge. Over the years they looked for a vineyard they could make their own, but it wasn’t until they decided that they only wanted to grow pinot noir, and only in the Rowella area of the Tamar Valley, that they found the perfect plot: 10ha on Westwoods Road. In ’15, they planted their first 4.5ha of vines – four different pinot clones – and in ’18, released the first wines under their Westella label. Naturally, their entire range, which at present includes the barrel-aged Westella and Tippogoree pinot noirs, plus a blanc de noir and a vintage sparkling rosé, is made from estate-grown pinot noir. In ’23, they opened their award-winning cellar door. -ANNA WEBSTER