Brian Croser was the founder of Petaluma, Croser and Bridgewater Mill and the driving force behind these labels until early this century. Croser and Tapanappa specialise in selecting optimum vineyard sites ensuring that each meticulously chosen variety grown is exceptional.

Brian Croser’s achievements (to name just a few) - he has previously been:

made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contribution to research and education and for service to the Australian wine industry
the President of the Winemakers Federation of Australia, the Chairman of Adelaide, Sydney and The National Wine Shows
recognised with numerous awards for service to the Australian wine industry including the prestigious Maurice O’Shea Award
awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Charles Sturt University
made a Doctor of the University of Adelaide in July of 2007
named Man of the Year by Decanter magazine in 2004
appointed Deputy Chancellor at the University of Adelaide for many years (where Your Wine Guy's Chief Wine Specialist would later study Oenology and Viticulture as part of the Bachelor of Wine Marketing)
the producer of single vineyard wines that are regarded by many as some of the best varietal expressions of grape growing and winemaking in the world (and continues to be)

Alongside the owners of Bollinger and the family behind prestigious Bordeaux producer Lynch-Bages, a new partnership was started with Croser in 2002 under the name Tapanappa. Tapanappa is the next step of Croser’s lifelong mission to nurture the most expressive and unique terroirs of Australia. Brian’s enthusiasm and continued development of superb vineyard sites, married with classic winemaking skills, ensures that these new wines are further advancing Australia’s reputation (some say in leaps and bounds).

The new Tapanappa partnership is driven by a strong, mutually held belief that some pieces of ground are much better than others for the production of fine wine. Of course this superiority is highly specific to varieties and wine style. This is the concept of "terroir", the inimitable effect of the geology, soil, climate, latitude, longitude, altitude, aspect, surrounds and all other factors affecting vines on the Whalebone Vineyard, Chardonnay vines on the Tiers Vineyard and the Pinot Noir vines at the new Foggy Hill site on the southern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula south of McLaren Vale. The Piccadilly Valley is the second coolest (after Foggy Hill at Parawa) and highest rainfall viticultural sub-region in South Australia.

Tapanappa devotedly produce only the following styles: Cabernet Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Chardonnay and all in severely limited quantities in order to uphold maximum quality. The Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz / Cabernet Franc and the Merlot are sourced from 34 year old vines on the Whalebone Vineyard from Wrattonbully, just north of Coonawarra. The superb Chardonnay comes from the heights of the Tiers Vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley and Pinot Noir from the exciting new tiny 4 hectare vineyard in the Fleurieu Peninsula. The new Pinot Noir is sourced from Parawa at the highest point of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia's coolest viticultural site - ". . . Arguably the best (climatic) conditions of all in mainland South Australia for table wine production" - Dr John Gladstones.

The wines are exquisite and deserve a place in any glass and in any cellar.

Sub Categories


Tapanappa Foggy Hill Fleurieu Peninsula Pinot Noir	Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Adelaide Hills Chardonnay	Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Wrattonbully Merlot	Tapanappa Wrattonbully Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz