Mornington Peninsula - Australia's Pinot Paradise

Just an hour south of Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula is one of Australia's most naturally suited regions for Pinot Noir. Ringed by water on three sides, Port Phillip Bay, Western Port Bay and Bass Strait, no vineyard here sits more than 7 kilometres from the ocean. That maritime embrace is everything: modern plantings only began in 1972, but the region quickly earned a reputation as Australia's answer to Burgundy, sometimes nicknamed the "Côte d'Or by the sea."

The Climate

With an average vintage temperature around 20°C, Mornington Peninsula sits firmly in cool-climate territory, tempered further by sea breezes from every direction. Elevation plays a big role too, the higher sub-regions like Red Hill and Main Ridge sit 200 metres or more above sea level, giving structured, mineral-driven wines, while the lower northern flats produce something richer and more generous. A long, gentle ripening season builds real flavour concentration without sacrificing the natural acidity that makes Pinot Noir from here so precise.

The Wines

Pinot Noir accounts for around half of all plantings, and it's easy to see why the region has built its reputation here, wines of real finesse, packed with intensity and structure beneath an elegant, supple exterior. Chardonnay makes up much of the rest, elegant and refined in its own right, with a smaller amount of Pinot Gris and Shiraz rounding things out.

While Mornington Peninsula wines aren't currently part of our range, it remains one of the most important regions in the Pinot Noir story worldwide, and one worth knowing well.