Geelong & Mornington Peninsula Day 1 12/12/10

I touched down at 8.45 am in Victoria Avalon Airport. Then, I rented a car a drove straight to Geelong, which wasn't very far away, just around 40 minutes. Down there I tasted some wines around the area. I don't understand what it is with the region, but not many vignerons in Geelong are as welcoming as the vignerons in NSW to talk about their wines. Some even charge for tastings. I suppose times must be so bad that they have to cover their cost for opening the wines. It was a slightly rainy day. To most people, Geelong is a region but it seems that everyone has a different view. Geelong is split into three unofficial sub-regions: Moorabool Valley (Continental climate), Surf Coast & The Bellarine. There are about 43 different vineyards in the area. It is a cool climate region with an average temperature of 19 degree Celsius. In the summer, it can get up to 35 degrees at times. Moorabool has rich volcanic soils. The Bellarine has rich, loamy soils over a limestone base. Surf Coast has more of a basalt soil. The region is very much known for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz. Although the wines from the Bellarine make delicious wines, I find the prices not too attractive. Perhaps it is because the majority of producers in this region is small and economy of scale is not present.

Jack Rabbit

Places to visit are Jack Rabbit which produces the Kilgour Estate range. They make 400 cases a year and their Pinot Noirs are clean and are fruit forward. The noticeable thing about their Pinot Noirs is that the colour is not deep but very much has the colour of the flesh of the inside of a grapefruit. I find that fascinating when I compare them to the Pinot Noirs of Leura Park. Their sparkling Cabernet is a must try too. Full of blackcurrant characters and a slight off-dry touch.



Just imagine the sort of grapes that can be grown here in a climate like this that is just next to the ocean and is so cold.

Ballarine Estate
There is one place you have to go to and that is Ballarine Estate. I am very impressed by their wines. The treatment of their OMK 2008 Viognier is unique, full of custard and ginger flavours unlike any barrel fermented Viognier I have seen. Both their Portarlington Ridge range are very affordable and full of fruit characters. The grapes are sourced form the Alphine. I have never tasted a Chardonnay at that price that has blossoms in it. Their James Paddock Chardonnay is another cracker of a wine, with ginger flavours and cinnamon aromas, plus a long length. You have to really visit them!

Somehow, I don't seem to be getting the same quality of product information that I get from the vignerons in Geelong compared to those in NSW. I wasn't very enamoured by the region so I decided to take a ferry across the Bass Strait from Queenscliff to Portsea, making my way to Mornington Peninsula, one of the best places in Australia for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

It is such a shame that this place makes so little for export that the world doesn't acknowledge its rightful place in the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay greats. So far in my wine travels around Australia, I have never seen a region that plants it's vines so close to one another, almost 1 m between vines. The close plantings were so fascinating to see I suppose the fact that it is closely planted makes the vines struggle and have its root dig deeper into the soil to take up minerals. It also means that there is no choice but to handpick the grapes because the rows are too small to machine harvest. Again, this is another region that requires you to pay so that you can taste. I find some of the tasting price absurd. Though I can understand the need to recoup costs if you are a small producer, I think that there is also a need to identify people who are interested in promoting your product since they are from the industry. I just realised that many producers may know how to make good wine, but they certainly don't know how to generate goodwill among people who could potentially help them to push up their prices. It only goes to show that making wine and running a business are two different skills.


The lyre-trained system of growing grapes. This is the first region I have seen using such a system.


We are seeing berry set here

The Mornington harvest is in March and April. The biggest wineries in the region are Yabby Lake, T'Gallant which is owed by Fosters and Kooyong. The industry is only about 30 years old with Main Ridge being the oldest - 35. A fascinating sight to come across is the Lyre trained vines at Lindenderry vineyard. This is the first time I have seen Lyre trained in Australia. Before I could study the vines some more, something unexpected happened. All I can say is that people from Victoria are different from those from NSW. Both are Australians but both are a different species. So far, I like people from NSW and Canberra. I used to think people from Victoria are friendlier and I suppose it is too early to tell since I only been here for a day. The funny thing I am getting from Victorians is that they seem to be quite suspicious of people. I'm going to remain open to my perception of them after the end of my trip.

Really funny thing I notice about the Shiraz grown in Geelong and Mornington is how different they are from NSW and Canberra. They have this cool climate aromas of something musty, and farmy that I cannot lift a finger to but I find them in Shiraz from Goulburn as well.

Stonier
Now if you really want to try an excellent wine, you have to go to Stonier. I mean it! The quality that these guys are producing is outstanding. Even their entry-level wines have very high standards. They were the standouts of today because of a few reasons. The wines were very complex in terms of the balance and perfumy aromas that both their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were able to achieve. It is rich but not overpowering. It had a softness to it that wasn't girly but was more like the expression of a confident woman. Morever, both had very good line of acid and long length in the backpalate. Although their reserve wines are somewhat pricey, I do think they are a good buy if you are getting it in Austrlaia. Their top of the tier range which I do feel was excellent doesn't have the same bang for buck as their reserve range. However, it is normal in a wine that the quality over price gradient decreases.

I also recommend that you head over to Merricks General Wine store next door and taste their wines. They represent Elgee Park Estate which makes a different style of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; a somewhat more rustic style.

Picture will come once my internet is fully running again.

Additional Notes on 13/12/10:
I also want to add that I visited the Eldridge Estate which charges $4 a tasting. It is a James Halliday Five Star vineyard, which I couldn't agree any less (I didn't know it was until I checked it today). They make excellent Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. about 5-6 clones go into each wine and is carefully blended.

I also took a bottle of Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir with me for dinner and along with the Beef Wellington, it completed my day. The Pinot Noir was hand picked and fermented in small open 2-3 tonne fermenters with hand plunging. 5% of the final blend was whole bunch fermented and extended marceration lasted for 20 days. After that, ferments were transferred to 35% new French oak barriques for MLF and maturation for 9 months. Barrels were selected and transferred to older barrels for further maturation for 5 months. It has been in the bottle since July 2009.
In terms of colour, it was almost transparent ruby red. The nose was full of complex aromas that you could get from MLF and oak integration, generating spices of cloves and cinnamon. Moreover, the underlying fruit was there, dark cherries and light raspberries but not so apparent in such a way as a common Pinot. There were combinations of rose water, lifted flower aromas and lots of complexity in there. I cannot stress how complex it was. It was like watching a stage play with good actors and a good plot. Aromas later developed into a slight black pepper. About 3 hours since it opened and it was still going. On the palate was firm and rounded tannins coupled with good acid structure and fruit cake sweetness. Not the sweetness from sugar but from fruit. It had lovely weight in it. The length was more than 3 minutes in there and could go on forever. A pinot to die for! and did I mention that it retails for AUD50?