2023 Pooley Oronsay Cooinda Vale Pinot Noir, Coal River Valley

Pinot noir sourced from the Cooinda Vale vineyard in Campania, Coal River Valley; 80% whole bunch, 121 months in French oak, 50% new. Jeepers, this is in fine form this year. It's stony, savoury and complex, with layers of spice, leaf litter, game and amaro suffusing through the pure plum, sour cherry and cranberry fruits. It purrs. Like that Fastback Mustang that I lust after … all classic, graceful lines and a simmering latent power beneath the hood. Draws out long on the finish, too, with a lithe, minerally line daubed with game and spicy complexity. Drink 2024 to 2038.

97 points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, December 2024

Deep-ish, bright colour in the glass; a lift of stemmy whole-bunch aromas greets the nose, the wine is medium bodied and invigorated by fresh acidity. A tensioned, elegant, subtle pinot with good length and cellaring prospects. Concentration backed by fine and ample tannins. Lovely flavours, albeit still a little reserved, and a good contrast for the Butcher's Hill wine. Drink 2024 to 2037.

95 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, December 2024

The 2023 Oronsay Cooinda Vale Pinot Noir leads with dusty, chalky dried flowers, pressed linen, ocean air/brine, layers of timut pepper and freshly grated nutmeg, with musk sticks to close. This sensational wine is balanced and fine and has finesse. Drink 2025 to 2035.

94 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, September 2025

Pooley Wines was established in 1985 when Denis and Margaret Pooley planted ten rows of Riesling and seven rows of Pinot Noir on their farm at Cooinda Vale in the Coal River Valley — a retirement project that quietly became one of Tasmania's most admired wine estates. Three generations of the family have shaped it since, with winemaker Anna Pooley now at the helm, bringing precision and a deep sense of place to everything produced under the label.

The Oronsay is built entirely from the Abel clone, known for its deep colour, savoury intensity and remarkable complexity. Four barrels selected from block 9 at Cooinda Vale, the heart of the original estate. Eighty percent whole bunch inclusion gives the wine its structure and its haunting aromatic lift.

Stony and savoury on the nose, with layers of spice, leaf litter and game woven through pure plum, sour cherry and cranberry. A tensile, elegant palate with fine tannins, fresh acidity and a long mineral finish that lingers with complexity and quiet authority. A wine that purrs rather than shouts.

Few bottles remain.