Product Description:
Pinot with presence—Butcher’s Hill delivers a grounded, perfumed, age-worthy expression of Tasmania’s Coal River Valley.
The 2024 Pooley Butcher’s Hill Pinot Noir is structured, savoury and distinctly shaped by its rugged, north-facing slope above Richmond. Anna Pooley’s deft hand and a superb growing season produced a wine that balances dark-fruited depth with lifted spice and herbal complexity. This is not a fleeting, pretty Pinot—it’s layered and firm, made for the cellar.
Handpicked fruit, 25% whole bunch inclusion, and time on skins post-ferment give this wine its backbone. Ten months in fine-grain French oak (35% new) adds detail rather than dominance. The wine opens with ripe dark cherry, cocoa, and lavender, followed by green peppercorn, citrus peel and cardamom. Tannins are velvety, acidity firm—everything is in place for a long, expressive evolution.
Decant it now for complexity, or cellar confidently for a decade or more to see it tighten and unfurl in all the right ways.
Maker
Pooley Wines, established in 1985 by Denis and Margaret Pooley, is a family-owned vineyard that has grown to become one of Australia’s most acclaimed cool-climate wine producers. Situated in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, the winery has flourished under the stewardship of three generations, with John Pooley expanding the estate by adding the Butcher’s Hill Vineyard in 2003. Today, John’s daughter Anna Pooley, an award-winning winemaker, leads the production with an eye toward tradition and innovation. Her meticulous approach to winemaking honours the family’s legacy while elevating Pooley Wines to new heights of excellence. Recognised as the 2023 Winery of the Year by Halliday Wine Companion, Pooley’s commitment to quality and family values is evident in every bottle.
Philosophy
Pooley Wines’ philosophy is simple: to create wines that genuinely express the land, climate, and vintage from which they come. With a focus on sustainable viticulture and minimal intervention in the winemaking process, Pooley Wines allows the natural character of the fruit to shine through. The family’s dedication to crafting wines that balance elegance, complexity, and innovation is at the core of their approach. By embracing the rhythm of the vineyard and working with the challenges each vintage presents, Pooley Wines produces wines that are both distinctive and timeless, a true reflection of Tasmania’s unique terroir.
Tasting Notes
NOSE
– Perfumed and grounded
Dark cherry, cocoa, oregano and lavender with earth, green peppercorn and sweet spice.
PALATE
– Complex and vibrant
Cherry, citrus peel and allspice over firm acid and silky tannin, with notes of cardamom, liquorice and dark chocolate.
FINISH
– Long and textural
Velvety and mineral-edged, with ferrous detail and a graphite-like structure.
Reviews & Accolades
Gee Pooley make some good wines. I love the combination of earthiness and perfume here, it’s just so appealing and distinct. There’s black and red cherry, spice and creaminess to oak that frames up the wine so well. It has a subtle ferrous character, a fine graphite feel to tannin, balanced acidity, and a slight dried herb character. The finish is long with a quiet ‘mineral’ edge. It feels like it will come together very well with a little more bottle age. So lovely. My kind of Pinot Noir, in short. – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, 95 Points
Finer Details
Style: Red Wine
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Country: Australia
Region: Coal River Valley, Tasmania
Vintage: 2024
Bottle Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.3%
Closure: Screw Cap
