During Peter Dawson's recent UK trip, he spent the day with our Fine Wine and Off Trade sales person, Ito Aboutajedyne (pictured above (R) with Avi Shashidhara (L) and Peter), who got to dig deeper into Dawson James, the Tasmanian project he owns with Tim James. Here, Ito shares their story, from the early days at Hardy & Sons to making single-vineyard wines in Tasmania, described by James Halliday as 'wine that is made for love, not profit'.
For more information about purchasing Dawson James wines, please speak to your Account Manager. Not yet a customer? Contact Us to discuss opening an account.
Dawson James is the product of a long-standing professional partnership and friendship.
During his studies in microbiology, Peter Dawson, decided to take break for a year and set out to pursue a career in winemaking. In 1976, Peter hitchhiked from Melbourne to McLaren Vale where he immediately approached Hardy & Sons for a job. Within a few days, Peter joined the team as a cellar hand, working under Tim James’ leadership. After completing his studies in Melbourne, Peter returned to Hardy’s at the Houghton winery in Western Australia, where he spent 10 years as Chief Winemaker. In 1993, Peter decided to move back to South Australia. He was appointed Chief Winemaker of the Hardy & Sons Group, overseeing projects across the country and beyond, working in Sicily, Languedoc and Tuscany. Peter also spent considerable time in France, working in Bordeaux (Chateau Petrus 1984 and 1987) and Beaujolais (Chateau du Bluizard between 1990-1995)
Tim James was raised in the Barossa Valley on Leo Burning’s Chateau Leaunay (now Richmond Grove). He graduated from university in 1976 immediately joining Hardy & Sons as a winemaker, where he quickly progressed to Group Technical Manager and Production Manager. In 2001, Tim embarked on a new project where he was appointed Winemaker and Manging Director at Wirra Wirra. Tim is also a respected wine judge in Australia and continues to consult on different projects.
Peter and Tim have a collective experience of over 80 vintages, many of which were spent working together. While consulting for a Tasmanian sparkling wine project, Peter and Tim were enamoured by the potential they found and were soon convinced that it was the region best suited to produce Australia’s top single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
In 2009, Peter and James left their respective jobs and partnered to start Dawson James, a passion-project stemming from their respective winemaking careers. Peter and Tim had their eyes on the Derwent Valley, a region located in the south-east of the island which lies in a rain shadow making it Tasmania’s driest viticultural region. The Meadowbank Vineyard lies 60 kilometres north-west of Hobart and sits at 70 metres above the Derwent River with a north-easterly exposure, consisting of sandy loams over sandstone. The Meadowbank Vineyard holds a special place in Tasmanian viticultural history, planted originally in 1974 with Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling. The late Stephen Hitchinbotham was early to recognise the potential of this cool climate site producing wines between 1981 and 1984, although it soon became clear that Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were the most suited varieties. The Pinot Noir was planted in 1989 with the Burgundian MV6 clone, while the Chardonnay was planted in 2000 with the Champenois R10V5 clone.
“Meadowbank Pinot Noir is like turning up the volume on aroma concentration, from strawberry to wild strawberry.”
Peter Dawson, London August 2024
Peter and Tim have a “hands-off” approach to winemaking, keeping it very simple. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are hand harvested when they reach their optimum levels of ripeness and acidity. The Chardonnay is whole bunch pressed to encourage flinty aromas and settled. The must is transferred to French oak barriques where it undergoes alcoholic fermentation, followed by a partial malolactic fermentation (typically 50%). The Pinot Noir is vinified typically with 40% whole bunches and 60% de-stemmed berries.
Following a cold maceration in open-top fermenters, the must undergoes natural fermentation, after which the wine is basket-pressed, settled and transferred to French oak barriques. Both varietal wines are aged in Tronçais French oak 228L barriques (of which 40% is new) until bottling in February and aged in bottle for two years before release. With Peter and Tim’s no-compromise approach, they sought to work with the acclaimed Taransaud cooperage, only ordering their T5 model, which is air dried for five years (the Rolls-Royce of barrels). Peter and Tim’s fascination for fermentation led them to create a label inspired by it and designed by Tim’s daughter, a specialist in graphic design.
During Peter’s recent visit to London, he added:
“By the time we started Dawson James, we knew there would be no comprise on our barrel selection. Our careful use of oak enables the longevity of our wines, providing them with structure while finetuning their aroma concentration.” (August 2024)
2010 was Dawson James’ inaugural vintage and have since continued to produce their wines following the same no-compromise and hands-off approach to winemaking. Since then, the wines have won multiple accolades with the IWC, Decanter and in Halliday’s Top 100.
For more information about purchasing the wines of Dawson James, please speak to your Account Manager. Not yet a customer? Contact Us to discuss opening an account.