2025 Evenfall Chardonnay | Tasmania | Historic Tamar Valley Winery

🏆 From the Jimmy Watson Trophy-Winning Winemaker Behind Lowestoft – One of Tasmania's Most Exciting Chardonnay Discoveries!

NEW RELEASE | 2025 Evenfall Chardonnay | Tamar Valley, Tasmania

Historic Vineyard Established in 1972 | Winemaker Liam McElhinney | RRP $42

What happens when one of Tasmania's most accomplished winemakers gets involved with one of the island's oldest and most fascinating vineyard properties?

You get EVENFALL!

And this is one seriously exciting Chardonnay discovery.

The winemaker?

LIAM McELHINNEY!

The man behind the extraordinary success of Lowestoft.

A winemaker whose wines have won some of Australia's most prestigious awards.

Including the legendary Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy!

And here's the really fascinating part.

Evenfall isn't simply another new Tasmanian wine label.

Its vineyard history stretches all the way back to 1972.

That's more than half a century of Tasmanian wine history!

Situated on the western side of the Tamar River, this extraordinary property has witnessed the transformation of Tasmania from a relatively unknown wine-growing region into one of Australia's greatest sources of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

And now we have the brand-new 2025 Evenfall Chardonnay.

RRP $42!

For a Chardonnay with this winemaking pedigree, that is a seriously compelling proposition.

This is exactly the sort of discovery we love at Liquid Vibe!

Liam McElhinney – The Man Behind Lowestoft's Extraordinary Success

If you love great Tasmanian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Liam McElhinney is a name you need to know.

As chief winemaker at Lowestoft, Liam helped establish one of Australia's most exciting premium Tasmanian wine labels.

And the results have been absolutely extraordinary.

Lowestoft's wines have collected an astonishing collection of trophies and gold medals.

But one achievement stands above the rest.

The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy!

One of the most prestigious awards in Australian wine.

Lowestoft's La Maison Pinot Noir received the Jimmy Watson Trophy in 2023.

And Lowestoft was also recognised as Australia's leading Pinot Noir producer in the 2023 Halliday Wine Companion awards.

That's a remarkable record.

But Liam isn't simply a Pinot Noir specialist.

He's also responsible for some extraordinary Tasmanian Chardonnays.

Including Lowestoft's celebrated La Meilleure Chardonnay.

A wine designed to sit alongside La Maison Pinot Noir as one of the producer's flagship releases.

The philosophy behind Liam's wines is one of beautiful fruit purity, fine texture, thoughtful oak and remarkable natural acidity.

And that experience makes Evenfall a particularly exciting proposition.

You're getting Chardonnay from a winemaker with a serious track record at the very top end of Australian wine.

Evenfall – One of Tasmania's Oldest Vineyard Stories

Here's something most wine lovers wouldn't know.

The Evenfall property was originally planted in 1972.

The pioneering winegrower was Ralph Power, one of the important figures in the early development of Tasmania's modern wine industry.

At the time, Tasmania was a very different wine region.

There were only a handful of pioneering vineyards.

The island's potential for world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir was still being explored.

And establishing a vineyard was a considerable leap of faith.

The property was originally known as Powercourt, and later became associated with the Elmslie name.

Today, it is known as Evenfall.

But the vineyard's historical importance remains.

The original plantings included Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Baco Noir.

Some varieties were subsequently grafted over to Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir became an important part of the vineyard.

Today, Evenfall retains some of Tasmania's oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines.

And the estate is home to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as well.

It's an extraordinary piece of Tasmanian wine history.

Richard Winspear – The Man Who Helped Bring Evenfall Back to Life

The modern Evenfall story began in 2021.

Tasmanian businessman Richard Winspear and his partners acquired the historic property.

Richard had already built a successful career in Tasmania's agricultural industry.

But he recognised something special about the vineyard.

Its history.

Its position overlooking the Tamar River.

Its established vines.

And its potential to become an important destination for premium Tasmanian wine.

The new owners assembled an impressive team.

Liam McElhinney – Winemaker.

Matthias Utzinger – Vineyard Specialist.

And they developed a property that combines wine, food and hospitality in one remarkable location.

Today, Evenfall is much more than a vineyard.

It's a beautiful cellar door.

An acclaimed restaurant.

And a home for several exciting Tasmanian wine businesses.

Here's Something Else You Should Know – Evenfall Is Also Home to Bellebonne!

This is another fascinating detail.

The Evenfall property is also home to Bellebonne, the premium Tasmanian sparkling wine label established by Natalie Fryar.

Natalie is one of Australia's most respected sparkling winemakers.

And the property also houses Wellington & Wolfe, the wine project associated with Hugh McCullough.

Think about that for a moment.

One historic vineyard property.

Liam McElhinney making Evenfall.

Natalie Fryar producing Bellebonne.

And Hugh McCullough developing Wellington & Wolfe.

That's an extraordinary concentration of winemaking talent in one place!

And it tells you something about the ambition behind Evenfall.

This isn't simply a vineyard producing a few bottles of wine.

It's a property becoming an important part of Tasmania's premium wine community.

The Tamar Valley – One of Australia's Great Chardonnay Regions

If you're serious about Australian Chardonnay, Tasmania's Tamar Valley deserves your attention.

Located in northern Tasmania, the region benefits from a wonderfully cool climate and the moderating influence of the Tamar River.

The growing season can be long.

Temperatures are relatively cool.

And Chardonnay can develop beautiful flavour concentration while retaining the natural acidity that gives great wines their freshness and precision.

The finest Tamar Valley Chardonnays can display:

Beautiful citrus purity.

White peach and nectarine.

Delicate floral characters.

Fine mineral tension.

Subtle savoury complexity.

And extraordinary length.

But what makes the Tamar particularly fascinating is its diversity.

Different vineyard aspects.

Different soil types.

Different elevations.

And varying exposure to the river.

All of these factors contribute to the region's wonderful range of Chardonnay styles.

Evenfall's Extraordinary Vineyard Position

The Evenfall estate sits on the western side of the Tamar River near Legana.

The vineyard occupies gently sloping land with beautiful views across the river and surrounding landscape.

The east-facing slopes benefit from the Tamar's moderating influence.

A small creek running along the southern edge of the property also helps create a natural airflow corridor.

That can assist with cooling the vines during warmer conditions.

It's a fascinating vineyard environment.

And the sort of site that helps explain why Tasmania has become such an important Chardonnay region.

However, there's one important detail worth understanding.

Earlier Evenfall Chardonnay releases have incorporated fruit from both the Tamar Valley and Tasmania's East Coast.

So while the historic Tamar vineyard is central to the producer's story, the wine should not automatically be described as entirely estate-grown without confirmation of the 2025 fruit sources.

The Winemaking Philosophy – Precision, Texture and Beautiful Restraint

Liam McElhinney's Chardonnay philosophy is all about balance.

Great fruit.

Thoughtful oak.

Fine texture.

And the preservation of natural acidity.

Previous Evenfall Chardonnay releases have been made using hand-picked fruit fermented in French oak barrels.

The wines have undergone extended maturation on lees, with partial malolactic fermentation used to develop texture and complexity.

It's a fascinating approach.

The oak contributes subtle savoury characters.

Lees contact helps develop mouthfeel.

Partial malolactic fermentation can soften the wine's acidity and add richness.

But the goal is always to retain freshness.

That's the beauty of great Tasmanian Chardonnay.

You can have wonderful texture and complexity without losing the bright, precise character of the fruit.

The exact fermentation and maturation specifications for the 2025 release have not yet been independently confirmed.

The Chardonnay Style – White Peach, Lemon Curd and Beautiful Tasmanian Freshness

What makes Evenfall Chardonnay so compelling is its combination of elegance and texture.

The established house style is medium-bodied, refined and beautifully balanced.

The aromatic profile centres on:

• White peach and nectarine

• Fresh lemon and lemon zest

• Grapefruit

• Delicate white flowers

• Subtle herbal freshness

• Fine toasted almond

• Gentle savoury oak

• Lemon curd

• Beautiful mineral freshness

On the palate, the style combines vibrant citrus fruit with a lovely creamy texture.

There's white peach and nectarine.

Fresh lemon.

A little grapefruit pith.

And subtle nutty complexity.

The oak is designed to complement the fruit rather than dominate it.

And the natural acidity provides that wonderful mouth-watering freshness that makes Tasmanian Chardonnay so compelling.

White peach. Lemon curd. Grapefruit. Fine almond. Floral lift. Beautiful texture. Vibrant acidity.

This is the style Evenfall has established, and it's why the new 2025 release is so exciting.

Why the Lowestoft Connection Matters

Here's what I find particularly interesting.

When you're buying wine from a relatively new producer, the reputation of the winemaker matters.

And Liam McElhinney has already demonstrated that he knows how to make extraordinary Tasmanian wine.

Look at Lowestoft.

Jimmy Watson Trophy.

Numerous major show trophies.

Outstanding Pinot Noir.

And exceptional Chardonnay.

His experience spans different Tasmanian regions, vineyard sites and varieties.

He understands how to work with cool-climate fruit.

How to preserve natural acidity.

How to use oak without overwhelming the wine.

And how to develop texture and complexity.

That's an enormous advantage.

And it's one of the reasons Evenfall is a producer I think serious Chardonnay lovers should be discovering.

Exceptional Tasmanian Chardonnay Without the Enormous Price Tag

Let's talk about value.

Some of Tasmania's greatest Chardonnays now command very serious prices.

And understandably so.

The best wines are absolutely