Bremley Vineyard

They may be industry minnows – and their wines may be hard to find – but Tasmania's small scale Pinot Noir producers have been making their presence felt during the past five years. When Bremley won the prestigious 2024 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge, it was the fifth time in a row a Tasmanian producer had taken the coveted award.

For James and Vanessa Bresnehan, their Australian Pinot Noir Challenge success had been 15 years in the making. The couple gave up successful careers in the Royal Australian Navy to develop their small family business. When they purchased their property between Colebrook and Campania in 2008, they'd simply planned to run a few sheep and grow some barley.

But up in the back corner was a run-down block of vines. Around 2ha of Chardonnay, with a small amount of Pinot Noir as well. The vineyard had been called Coal River Rise. It was established in the mid-1990s by the previous owner, former public servant Brian Jones. The planting material had been sourced as cuttings from Iron Pot Bay founders Kyra and Rod Cuthbert. 

The vineyard needed a lot of love and care to bring it back into full production after Jones's untimely death. But the Bresnehans took it on anyway. 

They renamed their vineyard Back Paddock. Plantings have since been expanded to 13ha, with the couple taking an intensive, hands-on approach in their sustainable management program. Young Sadie and Harry Bresnehan are currently learning the ropes. 

The vineyard is the northernmost development in the Coal River Valley. It sits in an elevated amphitheatre that shelters vines from hot northerlies. The vineyard is underpinned by black cracking clays, flecked with Jurassic dolerite intrusions. The site has good water‑holding capacity, but naturally low rainfall maintains a firm grip on vine vigour, despite vineyard access to the valley's Craigbourne irrigation. 

Harvests here are typically modest yields of concentrated fruit.

The vineyard's initial plantings were supplemented early on with more Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Significant parcels of Chardonnay were subsequently sold under contract to Penfolds for its iconic Yattarna wine. New vineyard blocks established in 2019 added Pinot Blanc and Gamay.

The Bresnehans' first vintage of wine was produced in 2017. Their Back Paddock label morphed into Bremley when the couple joined forces with contract winemakers Justin Bubb and Anna Pooley, of Bubb + Pooley Wines. 

Bremley has been the moniker applied to all wines produced since 2021.

The vineyard's giant-killing 2023 wine was the pick of more than 300 entries in the 2024 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge. 

More like one in a million for the Bresnehans.

'This producer was probably my favourite new discovery of last year.' 

Nick Ryan, The Weekend Australia, November 2025

Key details:

• James Bresnehan: owner/operator

• Vanessa Bresnehan: owner/operator

Vineyard/cellar door address:

1589 Colebrook Rd, Campania TAS 7026

No cellar door tastings or visits. See website for online sales

Telephone:

James Bresnehan: +61 (0) 407 689 662

Email:

vanessa@bremley.com.au

Website:

www.bremley.com.au

Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.

Climate data* for sites in the Coal River Valley highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Six Friends (MJT 15.9°C; 786 GDD); Pooley Cooinda Vale (MJT 16.8°C; 929 GDD); SISU (MJT 16.8°C; 929 GDD) figure among the coolest sites.

Richmond Park Estate and Strelley Farm Estate (both MJT 18.0°C; 1189 GDD) are considered to be among the warmest, along with Coal Valley Vineyard and Cross Rivulet Winery (both MJT 17.9°C; 1185 GDD).

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 Colebrook Road, Campania, 1995-2024:

• Total annual average rainfall: 542mm
• Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 310mm
• Average autumn rainfall: 116mm
• Mean January temperature: 17.1°C
• Growing degree-days: 992 GDD
• Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 1
• Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 25

*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