2024 Quealy Campbell & Christine Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula

The Quealy Campbell & Christine Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula is a heartfelt and elegant wine named in honour of Quealy founders Kathleen Quealy’s parents, who inspired the estate’s pioneering spirit. Quealy is one of the key names in shaping the Peninsula’s reputation for cool-climate Pinot Noir, known for its site-focused, small-batch wines that lean into purity, balance and expression of place.

The fruit for Campbell & Christine is drawn from some of the estate’s best vineyard parcels on the Peninsula, where the maritime climate provides cool breezes, long ripening seasons and the perfect conditions for Pinot Noir. The vines are rooted in volcanic and clay loam soils that bring both perfume and depth. Fruit is handpicked, gently destemmed, and fermented with wild yeasts in open vessels before being matured in French oak barriques, a modest portion of which are new.

In the glass, the wine is bright garnet. Aromatically it opens with lifted red cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry layered with rose petal, forest herbs and subtle spice. On the palate it is medium-bodied and silky, with juicy red fruit at the core supported by fine tannins and a refreshing line of acidity. There’s a savoury earthiness that anchors the wine, leading to a long, elegant finish that lingers with mineral and spice notes.

Food pairings bring out its finesse: duck breast with cherry glaze, roast quail, grilled salmon, or vegetarian dishes like wild mushroom risotto, beetroot tart or lentil stew with thyme. It is approachable in youth for its brightness but has the structure to age gracefully for 6 to 8 years, developing notes of truffle, dried herbs and forest floor.