Mornington Peninsula Wines

This seminal wine from Paringa is only made when vintage conditions deem it possible, which means only the very best fruit makes the grade. This has Mornington cool climate characters oozing out of every pore, with a trademark cracked pepper characters as well as plum and vital spice. The palate is elegance personified with soft tannins providing structure and excellent length. The wine will soften further with careful cellaring ad would pair well with roasted meats, game and even mild meat curries.

The wines of Ocean Eight are already admired for their regional charm, especially the Chardonnay and Pinot, which goes to show that these Burgundian varieties respond well to the climate and soil. Winemaker Mike Aylward has used all the winemaking skill he picked up in France to turn out a single site Pinot that is incredibly detailed. It’s lifted in floral and violet aromas along with some cinnamon spice. The palate is perfectly poised with forest floor and supple tannins with just the slightest influence of oak.

Paringa equals Pinot perfection and maintains its place as one of the most highly awarded wineries in Australia. In fact this wine, which is their reserve offering has already amassed three trophies and will send your palate into a heady spin with its power and beauty. Sure it’s not cheap but the best vinous experiences seldom are. The best barrels of the vintage are blended to create a wine of complex plum and cherry underpinned by charry oak. Rich and ripe with fine grained tannins this wine is a sensual treat of Pinot persistence.

If you were going to put a bet on at the races, it’s highly doubtful that you’d choose the name Prancing Horse, however if you were looking for a focussed, modern Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula made by an award winning winemaker, we’d say this is a sure bet. This exhibits a fascinating mineral edge, showing a mixture of quartz and citrus. It’s long and lean with a concentrated palate that’s textured and intense before natural acids provide a clean finish.

Much of the credit for this wine goes to Wendy Lloyd (who runs Eldridge with her husband David) who is known as 'the Chardonnay Queen'. Unsurprising then by how high quality this Chardonnay is, a minerally and super fine Chardonnay with cleverly understated oak and no shortage of acidity.

It's a beautiful Pinot Noir this one, built very much in the delicate, fragrant and transparent style more associated with Burgundy than most modern Australian Pinots, reflecting perhaps just how focused and well drunk (in the nicest possible way) David Lloyd of Eldridge is. Superb Pinot, no questions about it.

The Ocean Eight wines are exceptional representations of what the Mornington Peninsula can do with varieties like Pinot Noir. Influenced by the fine wines of Burgundy winemaker Mike Aylward has chosen the best vineyard site to produce a wine that speaks of where it’s from. The nose shows cherry, plum, subtle spice and earthy savoury undertones before delivering a silky smooth palate with a persistent finish. Like the winemaker suggests, pair it with anything that had feathers and plenty of flavour.

There's not two ways of saying it - this is superstar Mornington Pinot. Heck it even has a rockstar sounding name! The story here is all about fastidious detail - careful viticulture, low yields and careful, French inspired winemaking. The net result is pale, fine and delicate Pinot as shown here. Seriously fine.

Chardonnay lovers take note, this is serious stuff from Stonier. The reserve range comprises of only the best parcels of fruit from the Mornington Peninsula that the Stonier crew can get their hands on. It’s fragrant with citrus, grapefruit as well as peach and some subtle nutty characters imparted thanks to quality French oak. A minerally palate follows, that’s flecked with citrus before a tantalising creamy texture aids the mouthfeel. It’s balanced and long and finishes with clean acids. Pair it with a lobster adorned with lemon and garlic butter for sheer heaven.

This Chardonnay from Ocean Eight got us excited and it’s hardly a surprise that winemaker Mike Aylward visited Burgundy to learn a few tricks before his first vintage. It’s also a classic case of the region providing the reason as Chardonnay in the Mornington Peninsula is coming of age. The fruit here is in the citrus and grapefruit spectrum with barrel characters of nuts and spice. It’s refined and finessed finishing with impressive natural acids. Imagine pairing this with pan-fried scallops.

Long have we admired the Stonier touch when it comes to Pinot Noir. We are suckers for the Mornington style with its fruit rich seduction and swooned at this latest release. It’s perfumed elegantly with cherry and red fruits as well as some captivating florals before a palate that’s vibrant with red fruit and some earthy notes. It’s soft with nicely weighted tannins,a clean acid backbone and persistent length. Pinot lovers will embrace this style as it’s why you fell in love with the variety in the first place.

Ocean Eight are part of a new wave of wineries on the Mornington Peninsula making wines that suit the region and influenced by some of the worlds classics. This Pinot Gris is considered to be amongst the country’s very best and follows the richer styles that are popular in the Alsace region of France. It is this style that is perfect with food as it’s got a fuller palate. The nose exudes aromas of citrus and delicate flowers as well as pear and almond. Texture is the key with this wine; it’s unctuous without being oily with tremendous fruit and mineral concentration as well as clean, lingering acids.

Another stylish wine from the Paradigm Hill stable, this time a rather peppery and high toned Shiraz from Col's Block (he's clearly a talented man is Col. Or at least he has a good block named after him or such). What makes this special is just how spicy and cool and sophisticated this is - a proper meaty spicy cool climate Shiraz firmly in the mould.

The cool climate Shiraz that Paringa Estate produce is seen as one of the stars of the Mornington Peninsula, previous vintages of this wine have cleaned up at wine shows all over the country with its obvious charm. The nose gives away its origins with lifted pepper, spice, black fruits and plum. The tannin structure ensures it will soften over time yet keep its perfect structure. A wine with a great future ahead of it and tastes at its best when drunk with food.

Saddle up for a taste of the Prancing Horse as this Pinot from the Mornington Peninsula is worth galloping after. It’s made by the sensational Sergio Carlei, a winemaker who is committed to the use of biodynamics in all of his wines. The fruit purity and expression is the first thing you notice in this seductively spicy wine. It’s rich in black cherry and forest floor aromas before delivering a palate that’s gossamer smooth thanks to well-integrated tannins. A wine worth savouring with a dish of duck ragu on fresh pasta.

It's interesting to see that Pinot Gris has suddenly become cool on the Peninsula of late. It's like they planted it to see what would happen and then realised that 'hey, these grapes make some pretty awesome wine'. Net result is wines like this - a medium weight white wine that carefully balances floral citrussy aromas with a rich but dry palate of delicacy and balance. It's a slightly richer wine when placed next to the 2010 and a more generous one because of it.

Morninton Peninsula and Chardonnay are like two peas in a pod, they bond harmoniously showing the connection between region and variety. When you add winemaker Sandro Mosele in to the mix it becomes a potent alignment. This is seriously sexy Chardonnay that will stop you in your tracks with its cool climate qualities. On the nose you’ll find citrus, grapefruit underpinned by nutty characters, these follow through onto the creamy palate that’s linear but long, clean natural acids draw it to a stunning conclusion.

This is the stuff dreams are made of. The mixture of Mornington Peninsula, Pinot Noir fruit and an award winning winemaker make a very healthy trio and deliver the ultimate expression of the variety. It was these factors that have ensured Port Philip Estate and Kooyong winery have been awarded the combined wineries of the Year in the 2012 edition of James Halliday’s Annual Wine Guide. This shows a rich tapestry of red fruits, some subtle earthy tones and notes of dried herbs. Vibrant and long the wine shows a good balance between soft tannins and lively acids.

If Mornington Peninsula took a human form it would definitely be a swimsuit model. A lovely, plus sized swimsuit model with soft curves in all the right places. This is a fittingly generous example of the type too from a superb vintage on the Peninsula. Loads of flavour, loads of love.

It's interesting to see that Pinot Gris has suddenly become cool on the Peninsula of late. It's like they planted it to see what would happen and then realised that 'hey, these grapes make some pretty awesome wine'. Net result is wines like this - a medium weight white wine that carefully balances floral citrussy aromas with a rich but dry palate of delicacy and balance. Nice wine.