Pinot Noir at ChaLou: challenge and reward

 

Pinot Noir is the variety we have learned the most about since taking on our own block. It is one of the first vines to budburst, incredibly sensitive to weather and quick to reflect the unique fingerprints of the season. At 900 metres here in Orange, NSW, it is a variety that asks a lot of us – demanding patience, precision and a willingness to work with whatever the year brings.

However, it is also the variety that offers the highest rewards. When everything aligns, Pinot Noir from our site possesses a purity, tension, and quiet beauty that makes all the hard work worthwhile. It was also the first variety to find its way into our Quixotic label, which was a moment of great excitement for us.

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Pinot Noir Recognition

Over the years, our Pinot Noir has become one of the wines we are most proud of, consistently earning recognition for its quality. ChaLou Pinot Noir has received numerous gold medal reviews and awards across regional and state shows. These acknowledgements affirm our long-held belief: that our site is capable of producing some of the best Pinot Noir in Orange and our State.

Our first Reserve release was highly praised by Shanteh Wale of the Halliday Wine Companion, receiving 96 points and the following review:

“First reserve release for ChaLou pinot noir; 50% whole bunches. Perfumed lilac and subtle lavender. Black cherries, bilberry and tonka bean. Mulberry stem and juniper. A wash of gentle flowing acidity with silty, fine-grained tannins. Crushed poppy seed, vanilla flecks and cassia bark. A potpourri of magenta florals. A worthy reserve release and showing great promise for the region with this variety.”

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Why Pinot Noir — And Why We Love It

Pinot Noir embodies both elegance and power; it is a variety that charms on the nose and holds you on the palate. In Orange, our high elevation allows us to produce Pinot Noir with delicacy, detail, power, and fine tannin structure.

Pinot Noir thrives in places where it has to work a little harder – where ripening is slow, flavors build gradually, and acidity remains bright and fresh. Our site provides exactly that, resulting in wines with lifted aromatics, fine tannins, and a line of acidity that carries the wine with elegance and length.

Pinot and Our Site

We are fortunate to have a diversity of expression across our 6ha vineyard, particularly with our established Pinot Noir in both the Henry Lane and Top blocks. Rob Coles planted exceptional clones with careful consideration of the site: Clone 667 in our Top block, where bony soils produce concentrated, dense fruit with power and depth; and Clone 777 in Henry Lane, located next to the large dam with deeper soils and fuller canopies that enhance fragrance and aromatics.

We are also excited about our newest Pinot Noir planting from November 2025, located below the Cellar Door. This new planting features Clone 667 on deep soils with a cool easterly aspect. We believe this will provide a lovely middle ground between our two existing blocks, offering a more fragrant yet structured expression.

We are excited to continue our Pinot Noir journey with each year teaching us more about how to work with this variety to get the very best expression from our site.