2025 ChaLou Pinot Noir, Orange

Bilberries, mulberries and black plums compete for your attention on the nose that also shows hints of savoury herbs and freshly tilled moist earth. The palate is tight-lipped on release, with lacy tannins and firm acids holding together the dark fruit.

This cool-climate Pinot vibrates with the coiled energy of Early Spring. It is a chameleon-like bridge for a modern communal table, pairing spectacularly with Cantonese-style roast duck served with pickled wild plums. The wine’s firm, unyielding acidity and structural stem-influence gracefully pierce through the rich, melting fats of the bird, while the dark plum and herbal undercurrents latch perfectly onto the aromatic five-spice.

Uncorking on a weeknight? Skip the stove and pick up a box of pan-fried pork and chive dumplings. The Pinot's tight structure and bright, structural crunch cleanly cut the pan-fried gelatinous dough, while its savory, tilled-earth tones beautifully anchor the pungent, green punch of the chives.

More about this wine

ChaLou is the project of Nadja Wallington and Steve Mobbs, two winemakers who met studying at Charles Sturt and spent years working across Australia and overseas, before reuniting in Orange in 2014, working for Philip Shaw and Cumulus, respectively. The former Sassy vineyard in Orange became their home in 2020, with fruit from the 2021 vintage launching the Chalou name on labels. The 2025 Halliday Dark Horse Winery award was well-earned for what must be one of the freshest voices in NSW wine.

The vineyard sits on volcanic soils with a mixture of sandstone, siltstone, basalt and andesite. The 2025 season was favourable for Orange, with a long, dry season providing ideal conditions for all varieties.

This wine is a blend of for Pinot clones grown in two blocks on the home vineyard. The grapes were left to cold soak for four days prior to fermentation with native yeast, with 40% included as whole bunches. The ferment was left on skins post fermentation to build savoury interest and depth before being pressed to oak barrels with fine solids for malolactic fermentation. The wine was not fined, with minimal filtering and sulfur prior to bottling.