Wine Show Awards
Australian Cool Climate Wine Show NSW 2011
Vintner’s Reserve Riesling 2008 – Gold Medal
Judges Comments: Intensity and finesse rewarded for Gold.
Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2008 – Bronze Medal
Cowra Wine Show 2011
Vintner’s Reserve Riesling 2008 – Bronze Medal
Riesling 2009 – Bronze Medal
Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2008 – Bronze Medal
Sparkling ‘Blanc de Noirs’ 2008 – Bronze Medal
Tasmanian Wine Show 2011
Sparkling Blanc de Noirs 2008 – Bronze Medal
Riesling 2009 – Bronze Medal
Reserve Riesling 2008 – Bronze Medal
Pinot Noir 2010 – Bronze Medal
Wrest Point Royal Hobart International Wine Show 2010
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008 – Bronze Medal
55 wines were entered in this section with 26 medals being awarded. Observatory Hill was the only Tasmanian winery to gain a medal in this class.
Judges comments: Very strong class. Top wines diverse styles. Some medium body with bright varietal fruit, this more concentrated ripe fruit in
harmony with considerable oak.
International Cool Climate Wine Show 2010
Pinot Noir 2009 – Bronze Medal
Chardonnay 2008 – Bronze Medal
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2006 – Bronze Medal
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008 – Silver Medal
Riesling 2008 – Silver Medal
Tasmanian Wine Show 2010
Pinot Noir 2008 – Silver Medal
Chardonnay 2008 – Silver Medal
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2006 – Bronze Medal
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008 – Bronze Medal
Reserve Riesling 2008 – Bronze Medal
Riesling 2009 – Bronze Medal
Wrest Point Royal Hobart International Wine Show 2009
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2006 – Bronze Medal
Cowra Wine Show 2009
Riesling 2008 – Bronze Medal
Chardonnay 2008 – Bronze Medal
awards & reviews
Featured Reviews
December 4, 2011
Sunday Examiner – WINSOR DOBBIN
Observatory Hill Pinot Grigio 2011
A wine made in lovely lifted, refreshing style, this is a lively, bright summer drink for enjoying chilled, and one that will also appeal to lovers of sauvignon blanc. Glenn and Chris Richardson grow some great fruit at Mount Rumney, just outside Hobart, that is vinified by Alain Rousseau and Nick Glaetzer at Frogmore Creek. Fresh, tangy and vibrant with bosq pear and fruit salad flavours, this a delightful summer wine.
Oct/Nov 2011
Gourmet Traveller Wine – Tassie Pinots (article)
Observatory Hill Pinot Noir 2010
This article featured a tasting of Tasmanian Pinot Noir, reviewed by Huon Hooke, Peter Bourne, Peter Forrestal, Sophie Otton and Nick Bulleid. Observatory Hill’s 2010 Pinot was rated in the top 20 Pinots in the State, gaining 90 points and 4 stars.
“Otton gave it top marks: ‘Quite ripe but with lovely characters interwoven. It’s plush, with purple fruits and other fragrances – violet, lavender and olive. Some savoury hints like cloves.”
August 7, 2011
Sunday Tasmanian/Sunday Taste – GRAEME PHILLIPS
Observatory Hill Vintner’s Reserve Riesling 2008
Rating: Excellent
Still pale green-gold colour with some delicious developed characters showing on the nose and the waxy honeycomb and cumquat marmalade-like flavours on the palate, all nicely intense and beautifully balanced, still with a few years left to go.
March 2011
Wine Punters [www.winepunters.com]
Observatory Hill Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2008
Since it is so hard to produce a consistently good cabernet in Tasmania, well until global warming really kicks in, we love it when we find another potential candidate. The fine folk at Observatory Hill gave us a bottle of their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and it's a beauty.
This is one very smooth wine. It's rich but balanced flavour means you experience both the cabernet, minus the sour grassy aftertaste, and the 'mellow' merlot. Definitely one for drinking on its own.
February 20, 2011
Sunday Examiner – WINSOR DOBBIN
Observatory Hill Pinot Grigio 2010
Fresh and fruity; lively and zingy and downright gluggable, this won't win any prizes for complexity but it is a very pretty white wine for enjoying on a warm summer evening. You'll find fresh apple/rose blossom notes on the nose, tropical fruit salad and guava flavours on the palate and crispness on the very clean finish. Cool-climate pinot grigio, in this case from Mt Rumney outside Hobart is often more fun and approachable that those from warmer climes. That's certainly true here.
September 12, 2010
Sunday Examiner – WINSOR DOBBIN
Observatory Hill Pinot Noir 2009
From the hillside at Hobart, just down the road from Hobart Airport comes this new release pinot noir that's very much designed for those who enjoy their pinots at the bigger end of the spectrum. Made from fruit grown by Glenn and Chris Richardson and crafted by ace winemaking duo Alain Rousseau and Nick Glaetzer, it has powerful dark cherry and blackberry characters to the fore with nice tannin structure. A Tassie wine with enough weight to enjoy with game dishes, or roast beef.
August 8, 2010
Sunday Examiner – WINSOR DOBBIN
Observatory Hill Chardonnay 2008
Glenn and Christine Richardson produce some excellent fruit from their vineyard at Mt Rumney between downtown Hobart and the airport. This is a lovely offering crafted by the talented team at Frogmore Creek that has restrained tropical fruit salad flavours tempered by acid and savoury oak. It's a very modern, very enjoyable wine that is extremely versatile with food.
April 25, 2010
Sunday Tasmanian
Sunday Taste – GRAEME PHILLIPS
Observatory Hill Tasmania Riesling 2009
Rating: Very Good
Very pale green/gold with, on the nose, citrus on top of unusual toasty aromas, the palate juicy, quite full and richly textured showing lively lemon sherbert freshness before those toasty characters add a savoury touch to the finish.
April 4, 2010
Wine Punters [www.winepunters.com]
Observatory Hill Pinot Noir 2008
Our initial impression was positive, very positive. This wine has a John Elliot nose - big, very big. This is a big cherry pinot with an oaky tannin backend. The fruit flavour is there but doesn't linger. We also liked the very smooth mouth feel.This is our first exposure to Observatory Hill but we were impressed. This pinot is a wine that can be drunk on its own now as well as going with food. The winemaker suggests cellaring over the 'medium term' which we take to mean at least 5 years. Sounds like excellent advice but we're not sure we could wait that long.
March 28, 2010
Sunday Tasmanian
Sunday Taste – GRAEME PHILLIPS
Observatory Hill Tasmania Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Rating: Very Good
A pale straw gold, with hints of lime, passionfruit and lemon zest aromas before more full flavoured tropical fruit characters show on the soft broad palate pleasingly refreshed and lifted by zesty, tangy acid.
February 14, 2010
Sunday Canberra Times
TOP DROPS – CHRIS SHANAHAN
Observatory Hill Tasmania Pinot Noir 2008
We discovered this gem at the excellent Piccalilly Restaurant, Battery Point, Hobart, late last year. It’s a fine, elegant style of some depth and complexity,
sourced from Glenn Richardson’s Observatory Hill vineyard at Mount Rumney - just 10km from Hobart at the entrance to the Coal River Valley. Richardson harvests the grapes and hands them over to French winemaker Alain Rousseau at Frogmore Creek Winery, just up the road in the Coal River Valley.
February 14, 2010
Sunday Tasmanian
SUNDAY TASTE, FRUIT OF THE VINE – GRAEME PHILLIPS
Observatory Hill Chardonnay 2006
Pale colour before a lovely nose with similar flavours on a nicely focused and finely tuned, mid weight, palate finishing with excellent length and intensity.
Observatory Hill Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2006
Attractive bay leaf and herbal aromas with blackcurrant, blueberry flavours and hints of chocolate, the firm, furry tannins drying up the finish. One for the cellar.