Product Line
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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Quealy Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir 2021The most structured offering in the Quealy stable – the tannins are textural with seemingly more fruit weight. It still has the vivacity of the ’21 vintage, yet incorporates hints of sweet and tart rhubarb, dark cherries, mocha and dried herbs plus cedar oak flavour. The palate doesn’t quite flesh out, even if it is medium bodied, as the acidity is keeping everything reined in, bar the slightly bitter, charred radicchio character on the finish, which adds to the mouthfeel and pleasure of drinking.
(95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion
Strong release. Both woodsy spice and oak notes aplenty but with the fruit to support it. Back cherries, strawberries, toast and coffee grounds, with cedar and dried herb notes over the top. Both inherently complex and inherently bold, even at 12.6% alc. Savoury to the point of bitter, but not. Firm-ish. It’s not for drinking now; it’s built to be matured. (93+) CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front
Complex foresty, earthy, leaf-litter aromas and flavours. Peppery and Campari-like wholebunch touches. There’s an individualism and singular character in this wine. Very enjoyable."
(93) HUON HOOKE, The Real Review
2021Pinot noirAustralia441$78.00 As low as $70.20 -
Onannon Tuerong Robinson Pinot Noir 2022A savoury and brooding wine with dark red fruits wrapped in woodsy, herbal spice. It's earthy in that forest floor after rain type of way with plenty of wholebunch giving sinew to it's frame and a distinctive savoury injection. There's a little, press of powdery tannin on the finish. It's a little wild and inward but if you like your pinots like this it's going to be right up your alley. ALEX DOBSON, PWS
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$74.00 As low as $66.60 -
Onannon Main Ridge Tudibaring Pinot Noir 2022So pretty and appealing thanks to its up-front red cherries and spice flavours. At first quite fruit-sweet, then other elements come into play: tangy, tart, pomegranate-like acidity, a touch of menthol. The oak is oh-so-subtle, adding some background nuances to the lighter-framed palate with lacy tannins. This is lovely. All fruit is destemmed, cold soaked for seven days in a carbonic environment and spends six weeks on skins, then pressed straight to oak, 15% new. (95) JANE FAULKNER Wine Companion
Red fruit, pimento, cinnamon and spice, poached strawberry and rhubarb, a little cedar oak. It’s all red fruit, some pomegranate and tamarind tang, light dusty and peppery tannin, a quiet sappy succulence, with a bright and zesty finish of excellent length. Very good. (94) GARY WALSH, The Wine Front
2022Pinot noirAustralia441$74.00 As low as $66.60 -
Onannon Red Hill Harrisons Road Pinot Noir 2022There’s plenty of whole bunch character, though the fruit here is up to the task. Dark raspberry, cherry, peppery and spicy, cardamom pod perfume, with a little toasty oak. Good flavour, density and weight, a dry grip to tannin with the graphite character of whole bunch as a positive, and the finish is long and firm. Nicely done. Very good wine. (95) GARY WALSH, The Wine Front2022Pinot noirAustralia441$74.00 As low as $66.60 -
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 -
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