The wines of Stonier, Mornington Peninsula, Australia

The wines of Stonier, Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at good prices

One of the Mornington Peninsula’s pioneer wineries, Stonier date back to 1978. They’re now part of the Lion Nathan wine group, and a mid-sized winery, crushing up to 500 tons each vintage.

But despite the size, Stonier remain one of the best producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Australia. And their wines also represent great value for money, from the basic varietals through to the single vineyard bottlings. There are now four single-vineyard Pinot Noirs.

I tasted these wines with Mike Symons (above), who has been involved here since 2003 and in charge of winemaking since 2008. It’s one of those ranges where you can’t really go wrong: the world needs more producers like this!

THE WINES

(UK retail prices in brackets. UK agent is Bibendum Wine.)

Stonier Chardonnay 2009 Mornington Peninsula
Fresh, bright and focused. Fruit forward with a hint of toast. Lovely fresh citrus and pear fruit. Bright with nice acidity. 90/100 (Ł12.99)

Stonier Chardonnay Reserve 2007 Mornington Peninsula
From older vineyards. Some toasty, fruity complexity on the nose. The palate is concentrated and elegant with subtle mealy notes, and pear and ripe apple fruit. Nicely complex with good acidity and a long finish. 93/100 (Ł16.99)

Stonier KBS Chardonnay 2009 Mornington Peninsula
A cool vineyard that only gets the morning sun. Fins, subtly toasty nose with pear, peach and citrus pith notes. The palate is bold and dense yet fresh and elegant with mealy, spicy, nutty fruit and a long finish. 94/100 (Ł24.99)

Stonier Pinot Noir 2009 Mornington Peninsula
Fresh, sappy, slightly green, cherry fruit nose, with some spicy notes. The palate is plummy, fresh and spicy with subtle earthy complexity adding a savoury dimension, as well as a bit of structure. 91/100 (Ł12.99)

Stonier Pinot Noir Reserve 2007 Mornington Peninsula
Warm, spicy and quite nicely structured, showing sweet cherry and plum fruit. Nicely spicy and structured with attractive fruit. 92/100 (Ł16.99)

Stonier Windmill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 Mornington Peninsula
40% whole-bunch fermentation gives structure and lift here. This is a north-facing sloping vineyard with red soils. Elegant, fresh and a bit structured with a lovely spicy edge and good acidity. Pure and direct: a nicely structured wine with a savoury dimension. 94/100 (Ł24.99)