10 Minutes x Tractor, a leading winery from the Mornington Peninsula
Australia’s Mornington Peninsula wine region, not far from Melbourne, is well known for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and one of the region’s star wineries is 10 Minutes by Tractor. The name comes from the fact that originally the basis of the project was a triplet of vineyards in Main Ridge that were each no more than ten minutes apart by tractor. The owners, Martin and Karen Spedding had a previous life in a very successful software company that they owned, and this has given them freedom to take a single-minded approach to quality. As well as the vineyards, they have two restaurants, one very fancy and one a bit more down to earth. Both are excellent.
Recently, they hired celebrated Mornington winemaker Sandro Mosele, who had left Kooyong. They have also planted a new close-planted vineyard near the winery that looks very promising.
In the past, birds used to be a challenge here, and forced some people to pick earlier than they wanted. ‘Before nets everyone picked in a fight with the birds,’ says Martin. ‘Then they got nets and suddenly realized they could ripen the grapes as much as they wanted. Then the pendulum swang back and with Chardonnay: there’s the current craze for matchstick and leanness. I don’t mind it but it’s a bit contrived.’
‘One of the concerns was that by picking early we would lose flavour,’ explains Martin. ‘This exercise for us, making sparkling wine, has been helpful because it has shown us that we can see that flavour at lower levels of alcohol. We had a view that we were picking chard around 23.5 Brix – if we picked it 21 Brix, how much flavour would we be trading off.’
THE WINES
Ten Minutes by Tractor Blanc de Blancs 2011 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
A cold, wet year. 6 g/l dosage. 48 months on lees. Very fresh and direct with nice citrus core. Has lovely sweet pear and grape notes on the finish, with a linear citrus core. Very bright and direct with precision and a hint of toastiness on the finish. Very attractive and rounded. 91/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor Blanc de Blancs 2011 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Zero dosage version. Taut and fresh with lovely fine citrus fruits. Linear and pure with great precision. 92/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Pinot Gris 2015 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Pithy with some pear and spice notes. Nice citrus fruit core. Stony white plum fruit on finish. 90/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Lovely rounded, sweet pear and ripe apple fruit with some smokiness and nice citrus fruit. Very lively with nice depth and complexity. Has a real fruit richness. 90/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Chardonnay 2015 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Very lively and broad with ripe apple and citrus. Rounded and smooth with some nice spicy bite. Lemons and hazelnut on the finish with a juicy character. Lovely. 92/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate Chardonnay 2014 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Cool, low yielding vintage. Wonderfully balanced with some tight citrus as well as more generous pear and white peach. Nicely textural with amazing detail and precision. Very pure and linear with a lovely spicy, mineral finish. 95/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor Wallis Chardonnay 2012 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
There’s a purity and generosity to this wine. This shows broad pear and white peach fruit with a smooth, concentrated fruit core. Subtle toast and bread notes sit over the generous mid-palate. Nice weight and focus. 93/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor McCutcheon Chardonnay 2015 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
So distinctive. Has a minty, tangerine edge to the fruit with lovely pear and yellow plum. There’s nice citrus here with lemon and dried herbs, and a nice acid drive. Tightwound and youthful. 94/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Pinot Noir Rosé 2016 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Pink with a hint of orange. Textured and sweetly fruited with cherries and plums. Rounded with some strawberry and rhubarb. 87/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Pinot Noir 2015 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Less than 2 tons acre. 100% Coolart Road, which is sedimentary. 2 ton open fermenters, destemmed. 15% new French oak. Lovely supple cherries and plums with raspberry and cherry fruit. Fresh and detailed with nice precise red cherry fruit and good structure. Subtle herbal notes and good structure. 93/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor McCutcheon Pinot Noir 2012 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Fine, wonderful sweet cherry and plum fruit with some herbal overtones. Bright with sweet herby fruit and nice texture. Silky with a spicy, lively finish. Autumn leaves and pot pourri with sweet red cherries and plums. So fine and expressive. 95/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor McCutcheon Pinot Noir 2015 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Direct and supple with sweet black cherry, as well as some plum and spice. Has freshness and vitality but also ripe dark fruits. Real finesse here with some complex tannic structure. 94/100
Ten Minutes by Tractor Judd Pinot Noir 2015 Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Silky, fine and floral with lovely black cherry and plum fruit. Has a silky finesse with some subtle black peppery notes and a hint of sappy, leafy cherry character. Fine and detailed with incredible beauty and elegance. 95/100
Wines tasted 02/17
