2023 Tapanappa Definitus Pinot Noir, Fleurieu Peninsula

In a word, linear. In two or more words: fine, firm, purity of expression. The ’23 vintage was a cool one, it shows. Less florals than usual, more dried herbals to the fore; less black fruits more red, and then there is the striking composure and overall complexity. All is set for a big, bright future. A driving tannin framework and grip sets the scene, a place where cranberry, red cherry, pomegranate pearls and cherry cola meet, lifted in herbs, earth, leaf, spice and light florals. The palate is fine-edged, bright, lively and firmly in place, the medium for a delicious purity of Pinot Noir refinement and grace. A long future awaits. Drink to 2044.

97 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, July 2026

If one may begin with the bottom line, this is the best Definitus Pinot Noir I have seen. Indeed, I’m not sure I can recall seeing a better Pinot made by Brian Croser. Given what he has achieved over what has already become a legendary career, that would certainly be saying something. Loved the 2022, but for me, this eclipses it. The fruit for Definitus comes from a block that is harvested separately, even though it is located in the centre of the Foggy Hill slope. It was planted in 2003 to clones 115 and 777, which the team believe gives greater fruit intensity and colour than they achieve in the rest of the vineyard. This is the sixth release of this wine. No ‘whole fruit’ was used, thanks to the cooler vintage. Maturation was for eight months in barriques. Pale russet with an ochre rim, it offers such an alluring nose with notes of red cherries, leaf litter, truffles, cranberries, smoked meats, spices, bay leaves and animal skins. Just love this nose. The wine is seamless in structure, and there is a seductive and creamy texture. It is impeccably balanced and very, very long, finishing with silky tannins and a flicker of good acidity. For me, a stunning Pinot Noir for enjoying over the next fifteen to twenty years. Drink to 2046.

97 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, July 2026

The 2023 Definitus Pinot Noir is stunning. A cool, challenging year across much of Australia was clearly a feather in the cap for this vineyard. The 2023 is a remarkably pure and seamless expression, a Pinot for Pinot-philes who appreciate delicacy and subtlety. Perfumed red cherry and cranberry are well matched to entrancing dark earthy tones, while the palate shows exquisite balance painted by powdery tannins and an exceptionally long, ethereal, slightly gamey finish. Benchmark Australian Pinot with a strong nod to Chambolle-Musigny. Drink to 2040.

96 points Angus Hughson for Vinous, September 2026

A release defined by its very cool vintage and its subsequent minuscule yields. It's light on its feet, with burgeoning savoury tannins that steer and deliver the bright red fruit – cranberry, wild strawberry, underripe red plum and raspberry – through the long finish. A purity here, a cleansing quality, in part thanks to the beautiful acids, which offer a refracted sense of light, juxtaposing spice, clove, cinnamon and anise. True beauty here.

96 points Katrina Butler for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2026 

This is the first time I have tasted the 2023 Definitus Pinot Noir Foggy Hill, and it leads with the clarity and singularity of the 2023 Pinot Noir Foggy Hill Vineyard. Here, the wine has more depth and layers to it, but it has the same freshness and character. This is excellent.

94 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, July 2026

Tapanappa’s Foggy Hill Vineyard was planted in 2003 to Dijon clones of Pinot Noir. It is located at Parawa on the Fleurieu Peninsula, and at 350 metres is its the highest point. Within the vineyard, the Definitus block occupies the central slope where shallow ferricrete sandstone sits close to the surface, restricting the vines, limiting yields and concentrating flavour in a way the deeper soils nearby simply cannot. The block takes its name from the Latin for defined or precise — words that describe exactly what the shallow soils and restricted vines deliver into the glass.

The grapes for the 2023 were harvested on April 18, 2023, destemmed and fermented over sixteen days followed by five days of maceration. The pressed wine was then aged for eight months in French oak barriques of which a third were new.