The hand picked fruit for our Pinot Noir was sourced from the Christmas Hill vineyard located in the Kuitpo region of the Adelaide Hills. After picking, the Pinot was 25% whole bunch fermented with the balance crushed and destemmed across a selection of four clones. A natural yeast fermentation proceeded over a period of two weeks before pressing and transferring to French oak barriques (Nadalie, Vallurine and Chassin) of which one third were new. Maturation was over the course of 11 months with a single racking. The wine was bottled in March 2021 unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes

Mid red in colour with a hint of crimson to the hue. The nose provides elegant cherry and strawberry fruits accompanied by savoury notes and a dash of toasty oak. The light-bodied palate offers delicate forest fruits intermingled with cinnamon, dried herb and mocha accents. Best from 2023 to 2028.

Technical Information

Alcohol – 13.5% by volume

Residual sugar – <1.0 g/L

pH – 3.55

Sulphur Dioxide – 91 mg/L Total; 26 mg/L Free

Production – 350 dozen

Reviews

Score 94 James Suckling

You could easily mistake this excellent Adelaide Hills pinot noir for a wine from Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. Wonderfully fine sour cherry character with rooty complexity on the nose, then a refreshing interplay of restrained fruit, self-confident tannins and mineral acidity on the beautifully proportioned palate. Drink or hold. Screw cap

Score 92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Like all Coates wines, this 2021 The Pinot Noir achieves a brilliance of flavor—a saturation in the mouth. There is so much flavor here. It accesses a level of clarity, persistence and suppleness of fruit that many Pinots strive for. There are raspberries, cherries and red apples—really delicious drinking here. It's not hugely complex, but the flow is just so attractive.