Glowing Reviews from JancisRobinson.com: A Deep Dive into Auburn & Block 3

The short story

Small Wonder’s 2023 Auburn Chardonnay and Block 3 Pinot Noir have been reviewed on JancisRobinson.com by Richard Hemming MW as part of a blind ‘Singapour’ tasting that lined up Tasmanian wines alongside prestige examples from France, Italy and South Africa. His write-up confirms that the Tasmanian wines he tasted 'can stand alongside prestige Champagnes… and hallowed Bordeaux,' high praise from one with such a refined, global palate.

Within that blind tasting, our 2023 Block 3 Pinot Noir emerged as one of the highest-scoring Tasmanian Pinot Noirs, while the 2023 Auburn Chardonnay sat among the top Tasmanian Chardonnays in the line-up.

What follows is a brief look back at the wines themselves, because while great scores assure us that we are on the right path, the real story is how the vineyard, season, and choices in the cellar shaped each bottle.

What was the Singapour tasting?

Each month, JancisRobinson.com runs a blind tasting round-up from Singapore, curated and written by Richard Hemming MW. The September edition was a truly global affair, assembling benchmark wines from regions such as Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Hermitage, Franciacorta, Barolo, Bolgheri, Tuscany, Sicily, and South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, alongside a carefully chosen group from Tasmania. It was, in every sense, a showcase of exceptional winemaking across both hemispheres.

In this company of world-class producers, the Tasmanian wines didn’t just participate; they impressed. As Hemming noted, the Tasmanian cohort more than held their own against these prestigious European and South African benchmarks, a remarkable outcome for a region that still represents just one per cent of Australia’s total wine production.

For Small Wonder, it’s a meaningful moment. Our Tamar Valley winery is ACO-certified organic, our winemaking is light-touch and detail-oriented, and since 2024, we’ve brought the full winemaking process, vine-to-bottle, onsite to our Tamar Valley vineyard and winery site. Recognition in a rigorous, blind international context validates the quiet decisions that underpin every pick, press and pour.

The Auburn Series: a quick refresher

Launched in late 2024, the Auburn Series is a premium Small Wonder collection of single-varietal wines produced from the finest fruit grown on our organic vineyard in Tasmania. The small-production range highlights the Tamar Valley’s unique terroir and commitment to craftsmanship.

The Auburn Series includes three wines: the 2023 Auburn Chardonnay, the 2023 Auburn Pinot Noir, and the 2023 Block 3 Pinot Noir.

• The Auburn Chardonnay is produced primarily from fruit from Block 7, consistently producing the best Chardonnay fruit on the vineyard.
• The Auburn Pinot Noir blends the finest Pinot grapes from the vineyard and is the selection of best barrels.
• The Block 3 Pinot Noir, as its name suggests, is crafted from fruit sourced exclusively from a single block (clone 114 and 115) known for its finesse, fragrance and delicate expression.

Each is hand-harvested, fermented and matured in small lots, and bottled on site at our Tamar Valley winery.

2023 Auburn Chardonnay

The 2023 Auburn Chardonnay shows its pedigree in the glass. As Richard Hemming MW described in his blind tasting, 'Aged for 10 months in French oak (30% new). Tasted blind. Vanilla, cream, toast, and a bit of lanolin waxiness too. Light but lengthy. Nicely handled oak gives this a sophisticated air without undue effort.'

Complex and composed, it showcases grapefruit and white peach brightness at its core, complemented by subtle almond notes, a saline thread, and a finely woven texture that finishes with quiet minerality. Dijon clones 76, 95, and I10V1 were hand-picked in mid-March and whole-bunch-pressed into the tank. The pristine free-run juice was settled overnight, then racked with light, fluffy lees to enhance texture, before undergoing wild fermentation in barrique (30% new). Regular bâtonnage and ten months in oak preceded a final blend of the standout barrels.

Recognition has followed, Gold at the 2025 Tasmanian Wine Show, 95 points from both The Wine Front and Wine Orbit, strong national press, and 94 points from Mike Bennie, writing for Australia's Wine Business Magazine.

2023 Auburn Pinot Noir 

The 2023 Auburn Pinot Noir is lifted and expressive, full of red fruits, think cranberry, cherry and raspberry, threaded with savoury herbs, forest floor and spice. It sits mid-weight and supple, its fine chalky tannins lending shape and tension. The wine is immediately charming yet clearly built with structure in mind.

A blend of G8V3, D5V12, and Pommard clones was hand-sorted into three- and four-tonne open-top fermenters, with 25% whole bunch inclusion for aromatic lift and structure. The must was pumped over twice daily during peak fermentation, with occasional punch-downs, and spent around two weeks on skins before pressing to 10% new French oak (Taransaud, François Frères) for 10 months.

Accolades for this wine include 95 points from Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 93 from Dave Brookes, Halliday, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate, and Jeni Port, Winepilot, and a top-six mention in Young Gun of Wine’s 'Deep Dive, Best Tasmanian Pinot Noir' feature.

Shop the 2023 Auburn Pinot Noir.

2023 Block 3 Pinot Noir 

The 2023 Block 3 Pinot Noir is the single-block expression that drew Hemming’s most effusive praise, 'Vivid fruit personality, like cherry candy with strong violet character in the foreground. Sweeps you off your feet, a real swooner. Utterly compelling and delicious.'

It shows wild strawberry, cherry, and rose petal, with a sappy herbal nuance and stony coolness. The palate carries volume without weight; the tannins are like fine silk ribbons, the finish is long and assured. Made from Dijon clones 114 and 115, fermentation took place in a single, four-tonne open-top vessel with 25% whole-bunch inclusion. After 12 days on skins, the wine was pressed into two- and three-year-old French oak barrels for a ten-month élevage period before bottling.

With 96 points from Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 95 points from Jeni Port, Winepilot, and 94 points from Dave Brookes, Halliday, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front and Paul Edwards, The West Australian, it has clearly struck a chord. This single-block lens tightens the focus. Whole-bunch fermentation and older oak emphasise aroma, shape, and earthy spice. Expressive now, it will only continue to evolve and improve with time.

Why this matters (beyond the glow of a score)

Tastings like Hemming’s are designed to eliminate label bias. Wines are poured in uniform glasses, masked, compared and judged on what’s in the glass. That our wines performed so strongly in that context is quite the endorsement of our approach.

The Tamar Valley’s cool nights and maritime influence impart tension and natural acidity, while our diverse soils, including grey sands, silt loams and ferris mudstone, deliver detail and energy. Our Tamar Valley vineyard is ACO certified organic and farmed to restore soil life and biodiversity, while our new Coal River Valley site is currently in organic conversion.

We employ a high-attention, measured approach in both the vineyard and winery, hand-harvesting, small-format ferments, restrained new oak, gravity-led handling, and block-by-block decisions that prioritise detail over volume. In short, the scores are the headline, but it is care and intent behind the wines that got us there.

Taste the wines that turned heads in Singapore. While our 2023 Block 3 Pinot Noir has now sold out, a small allocation of the 2023 Auburn Chardonnay and 2023 Auburn Pinot Noir remains, with the launch of the 2024 Auburn Pinot Noir not far behind. Shop online, or come and see where it all began, our Tamar Valley winery just outside Launceston. Book a guided tasting or a behind-the-scenes tour of our Tasmanian winery.