2019 Shy Susan Blanc de Blancs

**New Shy Susan Wines and new vintages released with the next Shy Susan Wine Club annually in September (ONE 6 pack per year)!

“Shy Susan (Tetratheca gunnii) is a critically endangered Australian wildflower. Her survival depends completely on a little native bee, who alone is capable of pollination. Their fate is forever entwined”.

Sourced from a mature South facing vineyard in Coal River Valley. After working with Tasmanian fruit for nearly two decades Glenn James with his wife, Jo Marsh began crafting wines under their newly created Shy Susan label in 2015. The couple lived in Porepunkah in the Alpine Valleys region and Glenn commuted to Tasmania weekly for his role as Chief Winemaker at Winemaking Tasmania. When Jo fell pregnant in late 2019 Glenn made the decision to leave his role and work fulltime with Jo in the Alpine Valleys. Having many years to experience the quality of fruit the Alpine Valleys had to offer they decided to continue the Shy Susan brand with local fruit. Select small parcels of fruit are crafted to reflect variety, vineyard and the stylistic approach forged from Glenn’s skill and experience.

Production Notes

The last wine sourced from Tasmania, and what a wine it is! Sourced from the Uplands vineyard in the Coal River Valley, the vineyard is south facing, away from the sun, which is very unusual for Tasmania, it means this is an ultra cool vineyard producing pristine Chardonnay of extraordinary quality. We were thrilled to secure this parcel of fruit, as in previous vintages it has found its way into some iconic super premium Australian wines. The wine has spent 7 years on yeast lees, travelling the Bass Strait while in tirage and freshly disgorged at our winery in the Alpine Valleys. You will be the very first people to see this amazing wine.

Tasting Note

A refined Blanc de Blancs showing lifted aromas of bright citrus, lemon zest and delicate white flowers. The palate is layered with classic yeasty, toasty and biscuit-brioche characters, balanced by savoury nuances and a crisp, elegant finish.

Technical details

"The best trick with sparkling wine – apart from adding some joy to your life – is to deliver flavour in an elegant way. That’s exactly what this wine does, and then adds a bit of flair. It tastes of apples and grapefruit, citrus and sweet pastries, all of which would be enough in itself – except that this wine then adds a genuine kick (of extra flavour) through the finish, which makes you stop and take special notice. This sparkling wine is excellent and then some." 95 points. Campbell Mattinson, 1 October 2025

"Tiraged in Tasmania, hand disgorged in the Alpine Valleys by Billy Button winemakers. This represents the last vintage of Tasmanian wine made by winemaker Glenn James. It's a fabulous final love letter to the isle as he concentrates on the Alpine Valleys. It's a top sparkling from what was widely regarded as an exceptional vintage. With a focus on racy Tassie cool-climate acidity, it delivers a complex mix of aged characters and fresh vibrancy. Nectarine, white peach, honey ginger snap biscuit, citrus and nutty notes abound, tied together in a lemon zesty energy and tension." Awarded 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion, Jeni Port - Published 03 February 2026