Mornington
Mornington
Located in the Port Phillip Zone an hour's drive north of Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula has a short, yet remarkable history of fine wine production. While there were a smattering of vineyards in the nineteenth century, modern viticulture on the Peninsula began when Ballieu Myer established a vineyard in 1972. This began an explosion of vineyards over the next thirty years with Main Ridge (1975) Stonier Wines (1978) Dromana Estate (1982) Moorooduc Estate (1983) Paringa Estate (1985) Port Phillip Estate (1987) Kooyong Estate (1996) Yabby Lake (1998), Ten Minutes by Tractor (1999) amongst those to become established during this time. Mornington Peninsula’s proximity to Melbourne and its underlying historical status as a holiday destination has strongly influenced the region's structure, influencing land prices resulting in a patchwork of small vineyards and producers spread across the area triangulated between popular weekend destination of Somerville, Flinders on Bass Straight and Rosebud on Port Phillip Bay. The result is a number of particularly accessible cellar door facilities and restaurants catering to tourists over weekends.
A maritime climate, the influence of Mornington’s proximity to the ocean, Bass Straight, and Port Philip Bay is the single most significant climatic factor affecting vineyards, followed by the diverse typography of terrain. Overall the climate is cool, the pervasive winds limiting issues with humidity and frost. The typography soil profile is diverse, impacting on viticulture, with the significantly cooler, elevated area surrounding Red Hill and Arthurs Seat (Main Ridge, Port Philip Estate) on fertile red volcanic soils, differing from the warmer low-lying areas of Moorooduc and Tuerong (Yabby Lake) which have well-draining sandy soils.
Mornington Peninsula is renowned for the production of high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay which are the most planted varieties, alongside Shiraz, Pinot Gris and very small quantities of Sauvignon Blanc. Mornington Pinot Noir is diverse, with many single vineyard bottlings ranging from light delicate expressions to more powerful styles with wines displaying flavours of bright cherry, strawberry and nuances of earth to powerful expressions with darker fruits and firmer tannins. Outstanding producers include Kooyong, Hurley Vineyards, Port Philip Estate, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Moorooduc Estate and Yabby Lake. Quality conscious producers follow the same model with Chardonnay bottling premium wines from site specific vineyards. On the whole these display delicate aromas of melon, citrus, with warmer sites display fig notes. Depending on winemaking styles they also may show notes of nutty characters of cashew and toasty oak or butter. Outstanding producers include Main Ridge, Kooyong, Yabby Lake, Moorooduc and Ten Minutes by Tractor.
While only planted in small quantities Shiraz from the Mornington Peninsula displays the classic cool climate characters including spice, black and white pepper, smoked meats and liquorice. Outstanding producers are limited, though the variety is starting to gain ground with both Paringa Estate and Foxy’s Hangout winning awards at major Australian wine shows in the last three years.
Pinot Gris is produced in small quantities and occasionally labelled as Pinot Grigio to indicate a dryer Italian style expression of the variety with T'Gallant and Quealy having had success with this variety.
Sources:
James Halliday’s Wine Atlas of Australian, James Halliday
Victorian Department of Primary Industries
Wine Australia
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Handpicked Regional Selection Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2023Founded on the idea of crafting outstanding wines from the world's best regions, Handpicked Wines carefully owns or partners with vineyards across Australia and beyond - from the cool reaches of Mornington Peninsula and Tasmania to iconic international regions like Barolo and Marlborough.
Their winemaking philosophy is all about site expression, sustainable farming, and detailed winemaking that best expresses the character of each of their wines origins. With a portfolio that spans everyday drinking wines to rare, single vineyard bottlings. This wine falls into their regional range and is a selection of declassified fruit off their single vineyard expressions, contract growers and managed sites.
It's a stellar little drop leaning into the autumnal and filigree nature of Yarra pinot but with a little more cushion and flesh that makes it so appealing. Red currant, a touch of wild strawberry and some forest fruit mix leap out of the glass with white pepper spice and touch of clove warmly greet you. Its mid-weight in style with some lovely, superfine tannins that etch the surface of the glossy fruit. There is just a kiss light toasty oak but you could barely tell while it subtly frames the pure fruits. Another pinot where you have to ask how do they make it for the money?
2023Pinot noirAustralia441$24.00 As low as $21.60 -
Moorooduc Estate Devil Bend Creek Pinot Noir 2024I know we have said it before but honestly, how do the McIntyres do this wine for this kind of money? It always impresses and considering this is all hand-harvested, wild yeast fermented, and spends time in top-notch French oak you just have to smile with a glass in front of you.
There is always a generosity here and 2024 has embraced that vibe but added a little sappy detail to elevate the stakes a little more.. A touch of wild cherry and raspberry fruit, that amaro and citrus twang you often see and a sprinkle of sweet spice and whole black pepper that entices you in. It's plump through the middle with succulent fruit that zips along a fine line of tannins that bind all the fruit together beautifully.
It's soft and supple with plenty of Joie-de-vie while delivering a serious edge that most producers in the Mornigton must be pretty jealous about.2024Pinot noirAustralia441$31.00 As low as $27.90 -
Quealy 'Pobblebonk' 2024Quite possibly the most delicious Pobblebonk to date. Riesling, friulano, pinot grigio and ribolla gialla are the friends, each fermented wild in used French oak, on full solids and later blended. It’s heady with meadow flowers, lemon blossom and hints of lemon verbena, really spicy with nutty, leesy aromas, and the palate is both textural and alive with fine acidity. Neat phenolics add to the pleasure of drinking this. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion
Light to mid straw colour in the glass, the bouquet savoury with some nutty notes possibly from barrel ferment, adding layers to the floral and spicy fruit aromas. Deliciously intense fruit on palate with a touch more dimension than the Quealy pinot grigios. It's truly more than the sum of its parts. A lovely drink, intense, long and harmonious, the finish lip-smackingly dry and appetising. (95), HUON HOOKE, The Real Review
How do you make a melange of fruity, bitter and salty so perfectly? So easygoing, delivering the goods, not stingy on flavour, not pushy with perfume. Just right. Lightly honeyed, with pink rock salt to balance, crunch of pears and cashews, with a cooling aniseed to finish. Textural but smooth. Simply yum. Nailed it. (94), KASIA SOBIESIAK Kasia Sobiesiak, The Wine Front2024Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, Riesling, White BlendAustralia441$35.00 As low as $31.50 -
Quealy Turbul Moscato Giallo 2022Given this producer’s love of Italian white varieties, it was only a matter of time before this dry moscato giallo made it as a single varietal. Previously blended into Lina Lool and the zero sulphur/zero sugar Secco Splendido. This inaugural release is so good. A rose gold, copper-orange hue with lovely clarity and the aromas – just heady. Musk, Turkish delight, rosewater, lemon verbena, lychees and turmeric. It is dry and fresh, with stretchy phenolics adding some grip and give, yet there’s a mouth-watering lemon salt character and the acidity keeps this seemingly light on its feet. Alas, a mere 280 bottles produced. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion
The perfume is just wow. Detailed, tightly packed notes and a tantalising deep golden colour. Scents of grape juice, lychee and roses. It’s honeyed blossoms, golden kiwi, quince and Mirabelles. It flows with a smooth, slightly textural, lightly creamy feel and, most importantly, the balancing sweet aromas bitter phenolic grip of green and yellow citrus in the finale. Pungent but lovely. So much power. Sugar and spice and everything nice. (93) KASIA SOBIEIAK, The Wine Front2024Pinot GrisAustralia441$38.00 As low as $34.20 -
Allies Assemblage Pinot Noir 2024More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2024Pinot noirAustralia441$38.00 As low as $34.20 -
Red Claw by Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$39.00 As low as $35.10 -
Quealy Feri Maris Pinot Grigio 2024Bright, light yellow colour; fainty nutty toasty aroma overlying honey, talc and pot-pourri. The wine is light and crisp in the mouth, vibrant and refreshing, with lively acidity and lots of energy cutting through the variety's innate richness. A spot-on grigio style. (93) HUON HOOKE, The Real Review2024Pinot GrisAustralia441$40.00 As low as $36.00 -
Merricks Estate Chardonnay 2024More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2024chardonnayAustralia441 -
Quealy Musk Creek Chardonnay 2023There’s so much flavour, detail and complexity within, and yet it feels ethereal and feathery light – a bit of a yin and yang wine in a way. Stone fruit and citrus, especially grapefruit, doused in ginger spice with a refreshing ginger lemon tea, even quinine flavour à la tonic water. Flutters of flinty sulphides, harmonious with exceptional texture via creamy lees, a slip of spicy oak and a finish that stretches to the horizon. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion
It starts quietly. With crunchy quince, umami notes of button mushrooms, oat biscuits and gingerbread, and then other aromas start to spill out – lemon curd, lemon tart with meringue, apples, honey coted nuts. Palate delivers texture and juicy acidity with a pink grapefruit and brown lime finish. It’s full of generous fruit with a mist of citrus essential oils, all in place with a good drive showing an interesting personality. Delicious drinking. (94) KASIA SOBIESIAK, The Wine Front
Bright medium yellow colour with a smoky note on the initial aroma, with nougat, toasted nuts and beeswax, and on the palate, intense lemon/citrus and a hint of honey emerging. It is well concentrated and deep, with brilliant acidity underlining the focused and penetrating fruit flavours. Wonderful chardonnay. (From Main Ridge). (96) Huon Hooke, The Real Review
2023chardonnayAustralia441$43.00 As low as $38.70 -
Moorooduc Estate Pinot Gris on Skins 2023STAFF PICKS 2024 - ALLICIA RAE
Pinot Gris, but not as you know it!
I've been obsessed with this skinsy gris since its inception, but this is my favourite vintage yet. I even took it along to this year's Australia Women in Wine Symposium in Hobart. Fruity, floral, and savoury with a bit of grip, this gris pairs well with sunshine and friends. Serve slightly chilled with charcuterie or BBQ prawns. ALLICIA
2023Pinot GrisAustralia441$44.00 As low as $39.60 -
Moorooduc Estate Pinot Noir 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$44.00 As low as $39.60 -
Stonier Pinot Noir 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023Pinot noirAustralia441$48.00 As low as $43.20 -
Symons Pinot Noir 2023
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023Pinot noirAustralia441$51.00 As low as $45.90 -
Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Cuvee Nina Sparkling 2018Traditional method, 47/44% chardonnay/pinot noir with 9% reserve wine from ’12. Three years on lees, dosage 4g/L and disgorged January ‘21. It has the perfect amount of complexity – think brioche with lemon curd with a touch of aldehydes – to the brightness of apple and stone fruit within. While it comes across with a richness of flavour, it’s crisp and refreshingly dry. JANE FAULKNER, James Halliday2018chardonnayAustralia441$55.00 As low as $49.50 -
Crittenden The Zumma Pinot Noir 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021Pinot noirAustralia441$63.00 As low as $56.70 -
Paradigm Hill Shiraz Cols Block 2019More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019shirazAustralia441$63.00 As low as $56.70 -
Dexter Pinot Noir 2023
There’s a fruit party going on here with loads of wild strawberries, red cherries and cranberries, spicy, too with snips of fresh basil and menthol plus heady florals mainly roses. The palate is mid-weighted, and a fruit succulence comes through so, too, layers of tannins with the sweet oak adding a hint of bitter green walnut on the finish. In its youth, there’s a prettiness as complexity will come with age. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion
I pretty much never drink any samples, because it’s not a good habit to get into, though maybe a few swallows might make a summer while I’m actually tasting, but hey, that’s what I call the FCE (Full Consumer Experience). Anyway, I had a few glasses of this last night while watching the documentary about Ennio Morricone – “Ennio” – which is currently streaming on Stan. Very good too, and this, in a way, while not Italian, seemed a suitable style of wine for that show. I cooked my children some duck breast for tea, with jasmine rice, steamed greens and plum sauce, but I didn’t eat any of that, though this wine would have been most excellent with it. I had a piece of bread with some Laughing Cow cheese on it. Economies must be made.Fine, kind of stony, perfumed, cherry and red fruit, gentle spiced oak, something a little earthy/autumnal too. It’s light to medium-bodied, pleasantly sappy, with a good crunch to acidity, really pleasing pumice stone tannin, and a offers a juicy/savoury finish of excellent length, with a little blood orange bite. Very nice. (94) GARY WALSH, The Wine Front
Pretty and lifted aromas of cherry, briar, sap, Asian spice, redcurrant, underbrush and a woodsy earthiness. Structured, fine, delicate, long and layered. There’s a supple drive of pure red fruits, subtle oak and textured tannins. Precise and pretty pinot. AARON BRASHER, The Real Review2023Pinot noirAustralia441$65.00 As low as $58.50 -
Allies Cinq a Sept Vermouth 700mlCinq a Sept is French vernacular for the aperitif time of day. For the uninitiated, Vermouth is a wine based fortified aperitif typically having elements of herb, spice, citrus and bitterness. Most often the wine plays second fiddle to the recipe but with Cinq a Sept it shares equal billing. Expect fresh raspberry fruit laced with refreshing herbs, exotic spice and mild bitterness. Great on ice with a slice of orange or grapefruit, longer with a dash of soda or as a bit player in cocktails like Negroni. ALLIES
I am totally in love with this product! Why? Because its flippin delicious! Pinot Based vermouth from the man behind Allies David 'Chappy' Chappman. He has just nailed it with this bright, bitter, summery drink. The subtle sweetness is beautifully balanced against the bitter citrus notes and the whole thing just sings. Of course, it's begging for a Negroni but this is so good I would just splash it on some ice with a citrus twist of your choice and a dash of soda. Enough said. MYLES, PWSVermouthAustralia441$68.00 -
Moorooduc Estate Robinson Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$76.00 As low as $68.40 -
Symons Georgica Pinot Noir 2023
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023Pinot noirAustralia441$78.00 As low as $70.20 -
Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023Medium red with a tinge of purple and a complex foresty bouquet of sour cherry, undergrowth and leaf-litter, with a hint of five spice. Palate is intense, bright and lively with fleshy richness and very fine, supple tannins in perfect balance with the flavour. Delicious pinot noir. HUON HOOKE, Real Review
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$79.00 As low as $71.10 -
Moorooduc Estate McIntyre Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$93.00 As low as $83.70 -
Paringa Estate Robinson Pinot Noir 2017More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2011Pinot noirAustralia441$96.00 As low as $86.40 -
Paringa Estate ‘The Paringa’ Chardonnay 2021The high acid year has favoured the suite of chardonnays, this undergoing mlf yet still resulting in a finely tuned and tighter than usual The Paringa. No shrinking violet though – packed with stone fruit, grapefruit and Meyer lemon and a powder puff of spices, honeycomb and malt. Super savoury, long and detailed, even lipsmacking. Classy stuff. JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion2021chardonnayAustralia441$96.00 As low as $86.40 -
Crittenden Estate 'Cri de Coeur' Pinot Noir 2021Fragrant, well-balanced Pinot Noir offering energetic red cherry/strawberry flavours with attractive floral lifts. There’s a touch more weight on this release than has become customary for this label but even so it’s generally slender and elegant. It’s good now but into the medium term it will age well. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front
The cooler season seems to suit Cri de Coeur as of all the pinots, this has the deepest colour – a vibrant garnet, and has amalgamated the best at this early stage. Fragrant with florals and autumn leaves after rain with flavours of morello and sweet red cherries, tamarind and turmeric, pepper and aniseed melding into the medium-bodied palate. The raw silk tannins have some sway and are just coming into unison, with the acidity allowing a lingering finish. JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion2022Pinot noirAustralia441$97.00 As low as $87.30 -
Hurley Hommage Pinot Noir 2022Homage faces north-east, is the smallest of the vineyards, was planted from cuttings taken from Main Ridge Estate, and – important on the Peninsula – is the most sheltered of the vineyards.
This release is better than excellent. It’s elegant and fine-boned but it has genuine power, most of the latter formed, assembled and employed through the back half of the palate and out through the finish. It’s a Pinot Noir for lovers of Pinot Noir. It’s modestly sweet-sour but it’s silken and cohesive, its black cherry, meat, toast and floral elements singing as one. This is my favourite of the 2022 Hurley Vineyards pinots; they’re all good, but this for me is the most complete. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$105.00 As low as $94.50 -
Hurley Lodestone Pinot Noir 2022Lodestone is north-facing and the warmest of the three sites. But it’s planted to the Burgundian clones 114, 115 and 777 (along with some MV6), and the soils the vines are planted in are rockier. (The Hurley Vineyard is currently for sale, if anyone is interested.)
This is an excellent release. Taut, perfumed, meaty in essence but pretty at the same time. Floral. Its tastes of game, black cherries and strawberries-dipped-in-chocolate, the latter of which makes it sound ‘sweet’ but it’s not; there are so many earth/spice/smoke/meat characters here that it largely comes across as savoury. This will age but I’d personally drink it now; there’s already so much going on. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$105.00 As low as $94.50 -
Ten Minutes by Tractor Judd Pinot Noir 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$110.00 As low as $99.00 -
Four Pillars Negroni Pack
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
$194.00 -
Aussie Negroni PackMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
$220.00 Regular Price $240.00