2024 Decades Coal River Valley Pinot Noir $80
Decades sprang to life in 2022 when the long-time mates Steve Flamsteed (winemaker) and Brad Rogers (brewer) purchased the 30ha Woodlands property at Tea Tree in the Coal River Valley. Located less than 5km from 10 neighbouring vineyards, this part of the valley is effectively its 'dress circle.'
Flamsteed and Rogers are dyed-in-the-wool fans of cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They have since added a little over 8ha of new plantings to the original 3ha block established on the site in 1990.
The Joy Division fans don't plan to simply sit back in their own private Wilderness and watch their vines grow. Flamsteed is a hard task master. He reckons the site does fruit density especially well. What's needed now is to work with the vineyard to develop greater perfume and elegance in its wines.
Easier said than done. The valley here is remarkably dry and sun-baked. Rainfall across the season seldom exceeds 300mm. That makes for abundant tannins and concentrated fruit flavours.
You see that in the 2024 Pinot Noir.
Flamsteed has done well to rein in the wine's intrinsic boldness and assertive tannin. Red and blue fruits in the aromatics are complemented by some lavender/undergrowth and spice notes, also absolving the wine of any errant eucalypt characters that can dog these wines in some parts of the valley.
The palate is a neat mix of plush and savoury. Ripe rather than over-ripe. The wine really rolls across the palate, and indeed finshes with fair bit more finesse than you might have expected from the warm dry 2023-2024 growing season.
That noted, this is a wine for a cool, dark hiding-place rather than for pouring alongside your favourite red meat dish. (Mind you, the Coal River Valley is home to plenty of feral deer, and a well-executed venison course would lay the foundations for a fabulous dining experience.)
I'm looking forward to seeing more of these wines, especially those that begin to receive contributions from the vineyard's most recent plantings.
Back in June, Flamsteed was shortlisted as Winemaker of the Year for next month's 2027 Halliday Wine Companion Awards.
Decades also figures among the six nominees shortlisted for Best New Winery.
Wine source: 13th Tasmanian Pinot Showcase, held at The Pinot Shop, Launceston, on 25 July 2026
Last page update: 31 July 2026