2024 Heroes Vineyard Anti Hero Coola Road Pinot Noir

This is another fascinating wine from James Thomas and the Heroes Anti-Hero project.

For anyone interested in the new wave of Australian Pinot Noir coming from Mount Gambier, this is a seriously interesting bottle.

92 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

Mount Gambier, South Australia

RRP $37 a bottle

Flint. Limestone. Southern Ocean. $37.

This is another fascinating wine from James Thomas and the Heroes Anti-Hero project.

But this time we're leaving Victoria altogether.

The 2024 Heroes Anti-Hero Coola Road Pinot Noir comes from Coola Road Vineyard at Mount Gambier, an emerging cool-climate region in the far south-east of South Australia.

Halliday Wine Companion has reviewed the wine, confirming its Mount Gambier origin, 13% alcohol and $35 price when tasted.

The attraction here is the site.

Shallow clay loam.
Flint.
Limestone.
Southern Ocean influence.
Cool-climate Pinot Noir.

And an RRP of just:

$37.

For anyone interested in the new wave of Australian Pinot Noir coming from Mount Gambier, this is a seriously interesting bottle.

92 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

92 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

The score is solid, but with this wine I'd sell the vineyard and value story just as hard as the points.

Because $37 gets you Pinot Noir from one of Australia's most fascinating emerging cool-climate areas, made by the same winemaker responsible for the extraordinary 97-point Heroes Vineyard Otway Hinterland Pinot Noir.

Halliday's recent profile of Heroes noted that James Thomas applies the same level of detail and care to the well-priced Anti-Hero wines as he does to his flagship Heroes releases.

That's important.

Anti-Hero isn't an afterthought.

It's James Thomas exploring other distinctive cool-climate vineyards through the same restrained winemaking philosophy.

Tasting Notes

The 2024 Coola Road Pinot Noir is light to medium-bodied, bright and beautifully savoury, with:

• Red cherry
• Dark cherry
• Wild strawberry
• Rhubarb
• Cranberry
• Dried clove
• Bramble
• Dried herbs
• Subtle graphite
• Fine cedar
• Earth
• Savoury spice
• Fine, polished tannins

It's not a big Pinot Noir.

That's the point.

There's plenty of bright red fruit on entry before rhubarb, bramble, cedar and dried spice build through the palate.

The tannins are polished and the finish is savoury, spicy and beautifully composed.

Light on its feet.

Savoury rather than sweet.

Seriously drinkable.

Mount Gambier – One of Australia's Emerging Pinot Noir Regions

Mount Gambier is becoming a fascinating source of Australian Pinot Noir.

This is about as far removed from the traditional image of warm South Australian red wine as you can get.

Mount Gambier sits right down in the state's south-east, exposed to the cooling influence of the Southern Ocean.

Heroes describes the vineyards used for its Anti-Hero project as cool-climate, maritime-influenced sites, and specifically sources Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Coola Road for this range.

For Pinot Noir, those cooler conditions matter enormously.

They help preserve:

Acidity • Perfume • Freshness • Fine tannin • Moderate alcohol

rather than pushing the variety towards excessive ripeness.

Flint over Limestone

Now we get to one of the best parts of the wine.

Coola Road's Pinot Noir grows in:

Shallow clay loams

littered with:

Flint rocks

over:

Limestone.

That's a fascinating vineyard profile for Pinot Noir.

There's a reason Mount Gambier is increasingly attracting attention from winemakers interested in Chardonnay and Pinot.

The combination of cool maritime conditions and limestone-based geology provides some seriously exciting raw material.

And Coola Road has already attracted other highly regarded winemakers looking for Mount Gambier Pinot fruit.

Constant Cooling Influence

Coola Road is warmer than James Thomas' home vineyard in the Otways, but the site remains heavily influenced by the ocean.

Contemporary descriptions of the vineyard emphasise its maritime climate and persistent sea breezes, helping moderate temperatures despite its slightly warmer location.

That's a very attractive environment for Pinot Noir.

You get enough warmth to develop flavour.

But enough cooling influence to retain freshness.

The finished wine sits at just:

13% alcohol.

That's right in the zone for modern Australian Pinot Noir.

Coola Road – A Vineyard with History

Coola Road isn't some newly planted vineyard created to capitalise on Mount Gambier's growing reputation.

The Ellis family has owned the Coola grazing property for more than:

160 years.

Vineyard planting began in the late 1990s, initially with Pinot Noir, before expanding to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Gris.

Pinot Noir therefore sits right at the foundation of the Coola Road vineyard story.

And today James Thomas is using the site to explore a completely different expression of Pinot Noir from his Otway Hinterland wines.

Whole Bunch + French Oak

The winemaking remains restrained.

The fruit sees a small whole-bunch component before maturation in French oak hogsheads. Contemporary listings for the 2024 describe a modest new-oak component, keeping wood influence firmly in the background.

That's exactly what you want with a wine like this.

The oak isn't supposed to make the wine taste expensive.

It's there to support:

Fruit • Tannin • Texture • Spice

while allowing the vineyard to remain visible.

And at only $37, that's seriously considered winemaking.

James Thomas & Anti-Hero

The Anti-Hero wines are where James Thomas gets to wander beyond his original Heroes Vineyard.

He currently works with sites including:

Yeowarra Hill – Otway Hinterland

Coola Road – Mount Gambier

Cobboboonee – Henty

Each has a strong cool-climate, maritime influence.

The point isn't to make them all taste the same.

It's the opposite.

Different vineyards. Different regions. Different expressions.

That's what makes the project interesting.

Why Heroes Is a Producer to Watch

If you're wondering why we're getting excited about a 92-point Pinot Noir, look at what James Thomas achieved across the rest of the 2024 Heroes range.

2024 Heroes Vineyard Pinot Noir – 97 Points Halliday

2024 Heroes Vineyard Chardonnay – 96 Points Halliday

2024 Heroes Dry Riesling – 95+ Points Halliday

2024 Heroes Sauvignon Blanc – 95 Points Halliday

2024 Anti-Hero Yeowarra Hill Pinot Noir – 95+ Points Halliday

2024 Anti-Hero Yeowarra Hill Chardonnay – 94 Points Halliday

2024 Anti-Hero Coola Road Chardonnay – 93+ Points Halliday

Halliday's Philip Rich said he was “blown away” by the 2024 Heroes range and identified James Thomas as an under-the-radar producer worth seeking out.

That puts the $37 Coola Road Pinot into context.

You're buying into a producer that's absolutely flying.

Three Vineyards – Three Pinot Noirs

This is where the Heroes range becomes really interesting.

2024 Heroes Vineyard Pinot Noir – Otway Hinterland

97 Points Halliday | RRP $75

Flagship.

Perfumed • Deep • Silky • Mineral • Complex

2024 Anti-Hero Yeowarra Hill Pinot Noir – Otway Hinterland

95+ Points Halliday | RRP $43

Red & Black Fruit • Bramble • Thyme • Nutmeg • Fine Tannin

2024 Anti-Hero Coola Road Pinot Noir – Mount Gambier

92 Points Halliday | RRP $37

Red Cherry • Strawberry • Rhubarb • Clove • Bramble • Savoury Spice

Three vineyards.

Two regions.

Same winemaker.

Three completely different expressions of Pinot Noir.

That's a fantastic tasting.

$37 – This Is the Everyday Heroes Pinot

This is how I'd position the Coola Road.

The flagship Heroes Pinot is the serious cellar wine.

The Yeowarra Hill is the 95+ point value sweet spot.

And Coola Road?

This is the one you drink.

It's $37.

It's bright.

It's savoury.

It's medium-bodied.

It doesn't need ten years in the cellar.

And it comes from a fascinating Mount Gambier vineyard sitting on flint-strewn clay over limestone.

That's a pretty compelling package.

Food Pairings

This is a brilliant food Pinot.

Try it with:

• Roast chicken
• Duck breast
• Pork loin
• Chargrilled quail
• Mushroom risotto
• Mushroom pizza
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Beef tartare
• Charcuterie
• Gruyère
• Soft cheeses

I'd particularly like this with roast chicken and mushrooms.

The cherry, rhubarb, bramble and clove characters would work beautifully with earthy flavours.

And because the wine is relatively light and fresh, you can even give it a slight chill.

Serve around:

14–16°C.

Drinking & Cellaring

This is primarily about enjoyment rather than long-term cellaring.

A current retailer assessment suggests:

Drink now–2029, highlighting the wine's supple texture, polished tannins and savoury finish.

I'd suggest:

Drink now–2030.

You can open it immediately.

Give it 15–30 minutes of air, pour it into a decent Burgundy glass and enjoy.

No ceremony required.

Why We Love It

This is a different proposition from the blockbuster-scoring Heroes wines.

And that's exactly why I like it.

You're getting:

⭐ 92 Points – Halliday Wine Companion
Coola Road Vineyard
Mount Gambier
Cool Maritime Climate
Clay Loam + Flint over Limestone
Whole-Bunch Component
French Oak Maturation
13% Alcohol

And the RRP?

$37.

That's smart Pinot Noir buying.

It's red-fruited, spicy, savoury, supple and fresh, with cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, bramble and clove characters wrapped around polished tannins.

If you love discovering the new wave of Australian Pinot Noir from Mount Gambier, Henty, the Otways, Geelong and the Upper Yarra, this is exactly the sort of bottle worth trying.

92 Halliday. Mount Gambier. Flint over limestone. $37 RRP.

The 2024 Heroes Anti-Hero Coola Road Pinot Noir is a seriously drinkable introduction to both James Thomas and one of Australia's most exciting emerging Pinot Noir regions.