Martin and Karen Spedding, Ten Minutes
by Tractor
Website: www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au
One of the Mornington Peninsula's star wineries is 10 Minutes by
Tractor. The name comes from the fact that originally the basis of
the project was three 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.
Sandro Mosele
The new close-planted vineyard
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
THE
MORNINGTON PENINSULA
1 Introduction
2 Paringa
Estate
3 Montalto
4
Ocean Eight
5
Kooyong
6 Ten Minutes
By Tractor
7 Stonier
8 Willow Creek
9 Crittenden Estate
10 Yabby Lake
11 Quealy
12 Mooroduc
13 Eldridge Estate of
Red Hill
See
also:
The
wines of Jamsheed
Shobbrook
Wines tasted
02/17
and 05/16 as indicated
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