The greatest Pinot Noir victory for Decades

Decades 2025 Coal River Valley Pinot Noir has won the 2026 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge from 319 entries across 20 regions.

Steve Flamsteed and Brad Rogers only purchased the vineyard four years ago.

Friends since their days at Roseworthy College, they built Decades around a shared ambition to make wine together.

Decades 2025 Pinot Noir impressed the judges with its vibrant cherry fruit and spice, fresh blood orange acidity, fine tannins and a long, beautifully balanced finish.

Steve Flamsteed said, “It’s an incredible honour to have been selected as the winner by that exceptional group of judges out of what would have been a stack of beautiful wines.

“Australian Pinot (and Chardonnay) is in such an incredible place right now and wine shows and events like the Pinot Challenge just push us to keep getting better.”

The trophy also returns to Tasmania after the Yarra Valley’s Giant Steps broke a five-year Tasmanian winning streak in 2025.

Tasmania produced more than 45 percent of all gold-medal wines.

An initiative of the Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association, the Challenge brings Pinot Noir from across the country into a single national field.

To win the trophy, a wine must first stand out among its regional peers, then prevail against the other regional winners.

This year’s final field spanned Tasmania, six Victorian regions and Western Australia.

“With 319 entries from 20 regions across Australia, this year’s Challenge showcased the exceptional quality of the 2025 vintage and the strength of Australian Pinot Noir,” chair of judges Tom Carson said.

“Against that outstanding field, the 2025 Decades Pinot Noir from Tasmania’s Coal River Valley absolutely captivated the judges from its first showing.

“Its wonderful aromatics, detail and silky palate carried it through every stage of judging.

“To win the national trophy with only their third release is an extraordinary achievement for Steve Flamsteed and Brad Rogers.”