Limited new releases from a formidable trio of Victorian winemaking talent

Sensational single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula brought to you by a trio of seriously talented mates.  What's not to like? I usually fine the whole combining initials to make a business name a little naff but I have to admit, 'Onannon' sounds pretty cool. It's a great project, born of great friends and grand ideas, each chucked in a few letters of their own names in to boot. Sam MiddletON, Kasper HermANN and Will ByrON. That first name might sound familiar to you, it should. Sam is Yarra Valley royalty having grown up at Mt Mary and cut his teeth in the family business from a young age, he now makes the wines there with Kasper Hermann at his side. Kasper, Sam and Will all have a shared history studying together and both worked at Coldstream Hills along with Will Barton. Will also has done stints working at Stonier, David Duband, Brokenwood Wines, Thomas Wines and Domaine Blain-Gagnard. The trio have a whole lot of winemaking experience behind them, great connections and a shared desire to make some special wines. It's a powerful combination that shows through in the bottle.

The Mornington Peninsula is their canvas, sourcing fruit from prime parcels and crafting lovely expressive wines that are both effortless, and complex and layered at the same time. Will has spent a lot of time making wine down here and knows every plot and parcel that's worth knowing. There is a clear passion for these sites they work with and so the single vineyard range we are offering here today is something the boys clearly care a lot about, that means you should too.  This is where the magic is, the key to understanding the Mornington is no monolith and that there is great value to be found in the character and diversity on offer here. 

In Tuerong the boys work with viticulturist Hugh Robinson's prized eponymous vineyard. You might have drunk wines from Moorooduc and Paringa who also get a slice of this pie. Up the hill and looking out towards the ocean is Gary McGibbon's Tudibaring vineyard in Main Ridge which looks out across the ocean. I believe, and I could be mistaken, but Yabby Lake makes one of their Winemaker Selection wines from up here too. It's not far away from Tuerong, but higher, cooler and more exposed to the elements. You can fell that in the wines too, they are higher toned, a little further from the deep fruited nature of wines from other parts of the Peninsular. The Pinot here is especially lovely with bright red fruits,  piquant acidity and fine, powdery tannin.  

They make an excellent Chardonnay from a 30-year-old vineyard overlooking Western Port Bay in Flinders. Here the site is protected from the cool winds by a large orchard and giant hedges, creating a warmer microclimate for the vines. No new oak here and the wine is a masterclass in texture and tension, lots of little flinty highlights and plenty of zip. Lastly they craft a wonderful Pinot Noir from Harrisons Road Vineyard in Red Hill, there plenty of those dark red fruits you would expect but they are wrapped up with lovely amalgam of spice and sinew thanks to some very smartly applied whole bunch and oak. It delivers on what I hope more Pinots from the Peninsula would be. 

So there you have it, six wines showcasing four handpicked sites from across the prime terroirs of the peninsula made by some serious guns in the Vic winemaking scene. As you would expect wines of this ilk are quite limited so we only have four dozen of each on offer. Let the reviews below be your guide to the character and style of each wine but either way you can't go wrong here if you love what great single vineyard wines offer, the expression of time and a place captured in the glass.