2023 Ossa Pinot Noir, Tasmania

Deep, bright and very youthful red-purple colour; intense deep dark-cherry/plum aromas, of ripe and concentrated fruit. There is remarkable depth of fruit in this pinot: bold and profound, still quite primary and showing great potential for the future. There's a core of ripe-fruit sweetness and generous fine tannins, and the wine will richly reward a few years in the cellar—although it's also lovely right now. Drink to 2038.

96 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, February 2025

Wild-eyed ruby in the glass with aromas of sour cherry, cranberry and raspberry pip plus a splash of red plum and hints of exotic spice, leaf litter, hoisin, light game notes, crushed rock and leaf litter. A wash of sour cherry and raspberry on the palate, layered with spice and amaro, with fine, chalky tannin support, a taut saline acid drivetrain and a nice lengthy draw on the palate. Drink to 2034.

95 points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, October 2024

Floral, perfumed and quite expressive, showing aromas of cherries, wild red berries, bark, pomegranate, cranberries and red-apple skin. The midweight palate has firmly framed tannins and a high-tension mouthfeel, finishing with a mineral, almost stony edge. There’s a fine balance of structure and freshness here, built for aging. Delicious. Drink or hold. 

95 points James Suckling, August 2025

The fruit for the 2023 Ossa Pinot Noir comes mainly from the Belbrook vineyard with small parcels of fruit from other vineyards in the Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley and the East Coast. The final blend includes Pinot Noir clones 777, 114 and D5V12, all fermented separately with small inclusions of whole berries and whole clusters. The wine  was matured for eleven months in French oak puncheons of which 15% were new and bottled with minimal intervention.

About this producer

Ossa Wines is a Tasmanian East Coast producer of fine wines established in 2017 by Rod and Cecile Roberts who from the first day set their goals high, the name appropriately referencing Tasmania’s highest point, Mount Ossa.

With over 20 hectares of vines, the site sits within a larger 600-hectare property called Belbrook in the Wye River Valley close to Wineglass Bay. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay lead the way here, supported by Shiraz and Grüner Veltliner and tiny parcels of Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

The wines are made by New Zealand-born winemaker Liam McElhinney who works in tandem with viticulturist Jay Dillon to present a portfolio of wines that has created quite a buzz.

Ossa has since 2024 been part of the expansive Western Australia-based and premium-focused Fogarty-Hall Wine Group.