2024 Moorooduc Estate Pinot Gris on Skins, Mornington Peninsula

On skins for 22 days, so it’s a proper skin-contact PG, then pressed to used oak for eight months and left on lees. It’s a bright if deep cherry-orange hue. Full of heady aromas – all florals and Campari with joss sticks and musk. This is probably the most tannic PG on skins to date but it's not out of place as it’s not at all heavy. There’s a freshness within and cleansing acidity, too.

93 points Jane Faulkner winecompanion.com.au

There has always been a quietly experimental thread running through Moorooduc Estate and their Pinot Gris on Skins is a perfect example of Richard and Jill McIntyre’s willingness to explore texture and tradition while staying true to Mornington Peninsula terroir. Established in the early 1980s, the estate has built its reputation on estate grown fruit and thoughtful, low intervention winemaking. Allowing Pinot Gris extended time on skins draws out colour, structure and savoury complexity, creating a wine that feels both contemporary and rooted in old world inspiration.

A glowing copper tinged amber hue immediately signals its distinctive personality. Aromas are layered and intriguing with ripe pear, quince and dried apple alongside orange peel, ginger spice, chamomile and a faint almond skin nuance. There is a gentle earthy note that adds depth. The palate is textural and mouth filling, orchard fruit and citrus rind flowing across a lightly grippy frame of fine phenolics. Subtle notes of honey, fennel and crushed herbs emerge through the finish, which remains dry, savoury and persistent with lively acidity keeping everything balanced.

This is the sort of wine that invites curiosity and conversation. Shared around a table laden with charcuterie, roasted vegetables, grilled chicken or rich seafood dishes, it feels both playful and serious at once. Drinking beautifully now for its aromatic complexity and tactile charm, though it will evolve over five to seven years as nutty and dried fruit nuances deepen. A compelling Mornington Peninsula skin contact white that showcases Moorooduc’s enduring commitment to authenticity and exploration.