2024 Swinging Bridge Caldwell Lane Pinot Noir, Orange

Sourced from Block G which is east facing and late ripening. Clones are a mix of 667 and 115 and are fully destemmed. Matured for 10 months in 20% new oak, primarily puncheons. 2024 is proving to be a harmonious year for pinot noir in Orange and this vintage shows its self assurance with dark cherry, smoked ancho chilli and crushed juniper spice; a deeper and darker-fruited vintage. It has chewy tobacco tannins, with five-spice and woodsy herbs in the background. I'd like to see this with a bit more time in bottle, to allow for some oak tones to integrate further, but it's a fine wine now and will continue to age well. Drink to 2030.

95 points Shanteh Wale for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2026

Pretty and lifted aromas of cherry, cranberry, pot-pourri, dried herbs, spice, underbrush and sou bois. Supple, mouth-filling, red fruited, crunchy and pretty. Textured, layered, long and with lovely purity and drive. Drink to 2036.

92 points Aaron Brasher for The Real Review, February 2026

Tom Ward’s family have been farming in the Central West of NSW since 1867, with the first Swinging Bridge vines planted on the Ward family property in Canowindra in 1995. The name originates from the wooden footbridge over the Belubula River that connects the family property to the town of Canowindra. Tom is a passionate advocate for New South Wales wines and for the high-altitude Orange Region, the home of the estate.

The Single Vineyard tier sits at the pinnacle of Swinging Bridge wines. Made in favourable vintages, the wines showcase the estate’s two high altitude sites in Orange through Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Caldwell Lane Pinot Noir is a barrel selection of fruit from the east facing block G in the namesake vineyard at 890m elevation. Planted to clones 667 and 115 it is a late ripening site appreciating long and warm autumns.

2024 was a warm and dry season for the region that despite average yields produced fruit of excellent quality. For this wine, fruit was destemmed and kept as whole berries for a three-day cold soak in open fermenters. The ferments were plunged twice daily before being pressed to mainly seasoned oak, predominantly puncheons, to complete fermentation and malolactic, followed by a 10-month rest. The two clones were kept separate throughout, allowing for a fine-tuned selection of barrels suitable for the final Caldwell Lane blend.

The wine opens with lifted aromas of red cherries and cranberry, with floral and herbal side notes. The supple and elegant palate is harmonious and clearly shows the favourable conditions of the year in the depth and clarity of fruit. It has texture and length, and the subtle cedar notes are likely to fade into the background with another year in the bottle.

Elegant Pinots are your choice for a weekend afternoon catch up over good local charcuterie and truffled brie. Ladies and gentlemen who lunch would enjoy a glass with pan-roasted quail with a warm salad of late season figs, goat's curd, and radicchio.