Some collaborations feel like they were always meant to happen, even if they take decades to come to life. For Steve Flamsteed and Brad Rogers, Decades Wines represents the perfect fusion of friendship, experience, and a shared obsession with making something exceptional.
We spoke to Steve Flamsteed after our first look at the wines to get a longer lens on his new venture with an old mate. Their story begins in 1991, as two Queensland boys meeting for the first time at Roseworthy Wine School. “We first discussed the idea of having a vineyard together one day over a couple of glasses of beer and a Joy Division album,” Steve recalls. “I know that sounds cliché, but it’s weirdly true.”
From that moment, the two formed a bond over music, fermentation, and a shared belief in letting creativity drive everything they did. Over the next three decades, their paths diverged—Steve becoming one of Australia’s most revered winemakers at Giant Steps, and Brad reshaping the craft beer landscape with Stone & Wood. But the dream of working together remained.
That dream became reality in 2022 when they found a vineyard in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley. The site, originally planted in 1990, ticked every box they were looking for. “It had to be cool climate,” Steve says. “We both love Pinot Noir, and you can’t go much further south in this country. There is something quite special about the maritime climate, the long, cool ripening season, but also the intense sunlight at that lower latitude and dry climate (low cloud cover).”
“If we can nail Chardonnay, that is Nirvana,” says Steve. “Ironically, it takes a lot more management of the canopy and some very careful fruit handling to make delicate, focused, citrusy Chardonnay. But when the stars align, it can be a truly beautiful thing.”
Their first harvest in 2023 was small but filled with promise. The Coal River Valley’s signature features—black cracking clay over limestone, low rainfall, and maritime influence—gave their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay a distinct character.
Steve explains, “When we first got the property, we dug a bunch of soil pits. There is consistently across the property about 900mm of black, cracking clay, and underneath that is a layer of white calcareous limestone-like material full of ancient smashed-up shells and crustaceans. Once the vines get their roots into that, they are stable (remember the annual rainfall down there is about 440mm).”
“The Pinots from that area seem to have an incredible blue fruit character, and in the cooler years, it’s almost into the mulberry/blackcurrants—perfumed and just plain delicious.”
For Chardonnay, the precision of timing is key. “We’ve only had two years’ experience with the Chardonnay, but it seems there is a lovely citrus line to the fruit if it is picked at the right time,” says Steve. Their approach to winemaking reflects decades of experience combined with fresh eyes for a new site.
Fruit is hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, and fermented wild in seasoned French oak. “If we’ve both learned one thing in winemaking,” Steve adds, “it is that classic line of less is more—being very careful about it. And understanding the science of it all.”
The first wines in this collaboration are incredibly exciting. The 2023 Decades Pinot Noir is vivid and succulent, with layers of blue fruit, long tailored tannins and a freshness and verve which puts it amongst the most compelling Australian Pinots we tasted this year. While the 2023 Decades Chardonnay is taut, citrus-driven, and mineral-laden, humming with electric tension. They’re wines of balance and restraint, which are both, distinctly compelling to drink.
“We are like a pair of young kids who snuck out to their first gig!” says Steve. “It’s also been gobsmacking how supportive all of our mates and family have been...”
With their debut wines limited to just 350 cases of Pinot Noir and 200 of Chardonnay, Decades Wines is starting small but already feels significant. It’s a project built on friendship, patience, and a deep love of the craft. Tasmanian wine's upper echelon has a new player. Secure yourself some of the debut releases from Steve and Brad at the link below.