One day in Mornington, Four Outstanding Wineries

Kathleen Quealy, owner

My first stop of the day was Quealy Winemakers, a slightly rustic setting with the cellar door and winery facilities all set up in what used to be a large orchard packing facility. I was fortunate enough to meet Kathleen Quealy on arrival:  Kathleen and husband Kevin McCathy purchased the property in 2003 and run it organically. Their son Tom is gradually taking over responsibility from his parents and brings his own innovation to what is already a distinctive family style – Kathleen was very clear that they choose to walk their own path and this is evident not only from their history but also in tasting the wines. Following a walk around the Home Vineyard with the dog and discussing the approach to soil improvement (adding organics material to improve water retention, and gypsum for structure) we worked through a generous tasting of eight wines.

The owners pioneered Pinot Gris on the peninsula, which has become a key segment of the white wine market here. They were also early adopters of skin contact white varieties and use of earthenware amphorae, and of several Italian grape varieties inspired by their visits to Friuli.

I won’t cover all eight wines, but first tasted was a Method Ancestrale sparkling Moscato Giallo with zero sulphur and zero dosage and this was the most memorable for me perhaps because it was the most unusual (in my experience!). On the nose the typical grapey aroma of the varietal with a distinctly savoury and herbal edge, on the palate a lovely soft acidity underlying apricot fruit with a grapey edge and lo-ong crisp, dry and satisfying finish.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2024 Pobblebonk, a field blend of Riesling, Friulano, Pinot Grigio and Ribolla Gialla, pale lemon, it had savoury nutty notes overlaying citrus, floral and spice aromas, with an intensely fruity palate and a long dry finish.

Of the four 2023 Pinot Noirs tasted two stood out for me: first, the Musk Creek, pale ruby in the glass with a clear rim, bright cherry fruit on the nose with a hint of five spice, rich, mouth-filling dark cherry on the palate with a savoury spice & smoke edge, fine tannins and a slightly peppery finish.  The Campbell & Christine was quite different, more overtly floral with rose and violet notes overlaying the cherry fruit, giving way to a distinct lapsang souchong smokiness, on the palate savoury-edged black cherry, tea and stewed rhubarb flavours with a long finish.

This is definitely a winery to return to, and given the opportunity, my aspiration would be to sit outside on a warm sunny day and very slowly contemplate my way through the Italian whites that I’d love to know better.

Ten Minutes by Tractor

The Sleekly Modern Tasting Room at Ten Minutes by Tractor

Next up was Ten Minutes by Tractor, a much larger operation with a slickly modern purpose-built cellar door, next to a similarly modern building housing the Peninsula’s first two-hatted restaurant. Originating with vineyards planted in 1992 by the McCutcheon and Wallis families and joined in 1997 by the Judd family, the three families formed a cooperative in 1997 and made their first wine together in 1998, releasing the first Ten Minutes by Tractor branded wines from the 2000 vintage in 2001 to high acclaim. The operation was sold to the Spedding family in 2004 and they have since expanded and acquired other vineyards to become one of Australia’s leading cool climate wineries. On their website Martin Spedding declares “…our future is clear, grow the best fruit we can, make wines that express the character of their origin…”.

Ten Minutes by Tractor have four wine tiers. The entry level 10X are regional expressions of the variety sourced from several different vineyards on the Peninsula. The mid-tier Estate wines are barrel selections from different vineyards “blended to create the best expression of Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir and Chardonnay”. The top-tier Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are from the best performing blocks of each individual vineyard chosen from parcels selected to give the clearest expression of their terroir. The Trahere is a new limited release of a single Pinot Noir and Chardonnay respectively.

I was fortunate to taste across the first three tiers and every wine was delicious. There’s not enough space in this blog to comment on every wine tasted, and in any case I don’t aspire to be a wine critic but let me comment on at least one memorable wine from each tier. The 2024 10X Pinot Gris was very enjoyable. Reminiscent of Alsatian style with whole bunch pressing and some old oak complexity this was a nice textural expression of Pinot Gris with aromas of nashi pear and guava and a whiff of ginger spice, on the palate soft and round, nicely balanced, not overtly fruity or long but nonetheless enjoyable.

The 2023 Estate Chardonnay had a nose of lemon curd, ripe grapefruit and hint of cinnamon, on the palate that lovely lemon curd richness underpinned by a fine minerality and fresh acidity, hints of ripe peach and even yellow plum, with a fine phenolic finish.

From no less than five equally impressive SV Pinot Noirs, the 2023 McCutcheon stood out for me as the most elegant and “pretty”. Pale ruby in the glass with a clear rim, floral aromas immediately presented on the nose of violets and rose underpinned by bright cherry fruit, on the palate, an intriguing array of berry fruit and elements of spice, leather and rhubarb danced across the tongue with the finest tannins.

The 2023 Coolart Road D Block it’s polar opposite – darker ruby in the glass, and darker fruit aromatics with a rose-petal lift. On the palate layered and complete, with rich plum and dark cherry fruit giving way to notes of balsamic and truffle, firmer tannins balanced by the rich fruit and all supported by a fine line of acidity and a lingering finish that continued to unfold in waves.

Yabby Lake Vineyard

The view from Yabby Lake Tasting Room and Restaurant

Third stop of the day was Yabby Lake Vineyard in Tuerong. Established by the Kirby family in 1998 the vineyard has built a reputation for SV Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and their 2012 Block 1 Pinot Noir was the first Pinot Noir to win the prestigious Jimmy Watson Trophy (in 2013). The family also run Heathcote estate in Central Victoria, in 1998 as well and focused on Shiraz, but with a small block of Nebbiolo. The Heathcote wines are also represented at the Yabby Lake Cellar Door.

The modern Cellar Door and Restaurant building has a stunning outlook over the lake and vineyard and features a large outdoor deck and garden area which I was unable to enjoy due to the drizzly weather. I tasted five of the Yabby Lake wines and two from Heathcote, all good wines but I will restrict my commentary to three of the Yabby Lake wines.

The first wine tasted was the SV Cuvee Nina Rose Sparkling, 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir, whole bunch pressed, primary fermentation in stainless and the secondary in bottle with 12 months on lees and 7gm/l dosage. Pale pink gold with a floral and red berry nose, soft mousse and creamy sweet fruit finishing dry with a hint of lees complexity. Nice party wine.

The 2024 SV Chardonnay was handpicked and whole bunch pressed with the juice transferred to French oak 500 litre puncheons, (25% new) for fermentation followed by 10 months aging on lees before bottling in January 2025. Medium lemon in the glass the wine had primary aromas of citrus and flint with a hint of nutty complexity. On the palate a distinct mealy quality with ripe grapefruit, and white nectarine and a long dry mineral finish. Definitely one for the cellar!

If the Australian Pinot Noir story puts the MV6 clone centre stage (MV6 origins date back to Busby in the 1830s!) the Martinborough Pinot Noir story has the Abel clone reputedly from Romanee Conti vineyards. Ata Rangi in Martinborough unusually has some MV6, and it was no small interest to discover the 2023 Yabby Lake SV  Pinot Noir, whilst giving the dominant roles to MV6 and GSV15, has 12% Abel in the blend. Each parcel of grapes handpicked, mostly destemmed but about 15% whole bunch, and separately vinified in old oak vats before transfer to French oak puncheons (20% new) for 10 months maturation.  Light-medium ruby, bright nose of red fruits – red cherry and raspberry with a hint of violets and a forest floor note. On the palate soft silky tannins, intense and rich layered flavours of raspberries and herbs with a spicy edge. Delicious now but will age.

Moorooduc Estate