The energy and control of the pristine 2010 vintage is on full show in this impressively focused chardonnay. Pure lime zest and crunchy grapefruit lead out, with nuances of anise and nutmeg, singing with taut acid drive and excellent line and length, carrying long and energetic through the finish, and promising some years of life […]

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Inherent approachability meets stimulating detail in this impressive vintage for Main Ridge, capturing the intensity and presence of this single estate vineyard in fresh white peach, grapefruit, lemon zest, fig, lemon butter, honey and mixed spice. For all of this complexity and generosity, it pulls into a refined and honed finish, drawn out long and […]

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Sheer determination and seamless calm characterise the personality of Block Six in 2010, quite a paradox as it takes full advantage of taut malic acidity to maintain a high-tensile focus, yet without the searing disjointedness that marks so many that attempt this edgy style. Sensational drive and energy of pure lemon, white peach and grapefruit […]

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Paringa is home to an arsenal of shiraz that has proven capable of outgunning anything in the country on the wine show circuit, thanks to its inimitable ability to bring immense power to an inherently cool climate demeanour. 2008 exemplifies this style, a powerful and ripe Paringa, loaded with exquisite black fruits of all kinds, […]

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Red Claw is no generic second label, rather a sophisticated estate chardonnay crafted from the same vineyards and hand harvested, whole bunch pressed, French oak barrel fermented and aged on lees in precisely the manner of Yabby Lake’s top chardonnays. On its sheer consistency alone, this should be Yabby Lake Estate Chardonnay and all above […]

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This wine is a revelation in a line of sub-$25 Mornington Peninsula pinots, because the fruit presence and harmonious balance on parade here simply walk all over everything else. Yabby unites cherry/berry fruits with brambles, savoury herbs and the kind of firm, fine tannins that suggest it will improve with a year or two. $23.50 […]

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Stonier is a household name in the pinot noir world, all thanks to this wine and its perpetual availability and frequent discounting. Very few wines at this price deliver pure pinot fruit of such exuberance: strawberries, cherry kernel, berry compote and a background note of savoury brambles. A firm, fine structure and impressive persistence make […]

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I’ll never forget the sight of pinot noir shrivelling before my eyes on the Mornington Peninsula on Black Saturday in early February 2009. Kudos to makers able to produce pinot at all in this vintage from hell, and legend status to any wine able to hold its freshness three years on. There’s a pretty, primary […]

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Paul Scorpo speaks of a more pronounced sense of place in his wines as his vines gain maturity. There’s no question that the undercurrent of chalky mineral structure that underlines his pinot noir is strengthening, rising to a crescendo in 2010, the vintage he names as the most naturally balanced and best quality in the […]

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Mike Aylward crafts some of the Mornington Peninsula’s most graceful pinot noirs. In a vintage where some makers pushed their wines to an edgy 14.5%, Ocean Eight retains a gloriously effortless 13% alcohol. Such delicacy opens up the airspace for every detail to hover with exacting precision: aromas of lifted rose petal, pink pepper and […]

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