Resolution Vineyard
There's a moment in life when all pieces seem to fall together to form a completed jigsaw puzzle. For Daniel and Caroline Lamont, that moment came in 2012 when they exchanged wedding vows at Resolution Vineyard, on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Less than five years later, they were signing property deeds for the tiny pocket handkerchief.
While some doubting Thomases may have called it a moment of madness, the Lamonts were not the least bit concerned about their lack of skills and experience in running a 1.0ha Pinot Noir vineyard. Having celebrated their marriage on the site, the couple went on to establish close personal friendships with the vineyard's founders.
By February 2017, the Lamonts were ready to over the reins.
Their vineyard first sprang into life in 2003 when Yorkshire-based Alison and Charles Hewitt purchased the 2.5ha site from Middleton's De Salis family. The Hewitts subsequently chose to remain in England and entrusted the care of the property and its vines to Alison Hewitt's parents, Peter and Helen Brown.
It was the Browns that ensured smooth transition of ownership to the Lamonts from the beginning of 2017.
Romancing the vines is nothing new. What set Resolution apart from many of its peers were the giant-killing performances of its wines under Hewitt ownership. Vintages 2009 and 2010 produced gold medal wines, with the latter vintage also being named among Gourmet Traveller Wine's Top 5 Australian Pinot Noirs in an October 2011 tasting comprising 75 premium labels.
Resolution is one of Australia's most southerly vineyards. It takes its name from the HMS Resolution, commanded by Captain James Cook on his second and third voyages of exploration. In January 1777, Cook anchored the Resolution and HMS Discovery in Adventure Bay, on Bruny Island.
The renowned master mariner's passage along the D'Entrecasteaux Channel would have been clearly visible from the site now occupied by the Lamonts' vineyard.
Pinot Noir produced from the property's three clones is invariably small scale and often insufficient to meet wine show entry requirements. A measly 264 bottles – yes, bottles not cases – were made in 2022.
In 2024, it was 720 bottles.
Middleton's geology features Jurassic dolerite with duplex sandy loam over clay subsoils. The vineyard's close proximity to the water moderates summer temperatures and extends Pinot Noir's typical growing and ripening seasons into mid/late April. May harvests take place in cooler vintages like 2017.
Resolution Vineyard Pinot Noir is made under contract at Frogmore Creek Wines by senior winemaker Alain Rousseau. He may not be a master mariner but the Frenchman maintains a very steady hand on the wine tiller.
Key details:
- Daniel Lamont: owner/operator
- Caroline Lamont: owner/operator
- Alain Rousseau: contract winemaker, Frogmore Creek Wines
Vineyard/cellar door address:
29 Sunny Banks Road, Middleton Tas 7163
Telephone:
+61 (0) 418 137 005
Email:
contact@resolutionvineyard.com.au
Website:
www.resolutionvineyard.com.au
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Climate data* for sites in the Huon Valley/D'Entrecasteaux Channel highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Nandroya, Two Bud Spur (both MJT 14.8°C; 622 GDD) and Bruny Island Premium Wines (MJT 15.4°C; 747 GDD) appear to be the coolest sites south of Hobart.
Tinderbox Vineyard (MJT 17.3°C; 1088 GDD) and Trial Bay Estate (MJT 17.1°C; 1044 GDD) are the warmest.
Vineyard sites on the Australian mainland are far warmer than those in Tasmania.
South Australia's Piccadilly Valley* (MJT 20.4°C; 1730 GDD) and Macedon Ranges* (MJT 19.9°C; 1365 GDD) in Victoria are regarded as the coolest GIs in their respective States.
Climate data* for Sunny Banks Road 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 820mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 418mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 188mm
- Mean January temperature: 16.7°C
- Growing degree-days: 1007 GDD
- Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 0
- Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 7
*Source: My Climate View, utilising past data from the Bureau of Meteorology and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Funded by the Australian Government.
Last page update: January 2026