2024 Quealy Musk Creek Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula

This is just the third release of Quealy’s Musk Creek Chardonnay, yet the wine has quickly become a prominent mainstay in the estate’s portfolio. With Tom McCarthy now firmly at the helm of the day-to-day running of things chez Quealy, this should come as no surprise—he has extensive experience with the variety through his one-time side project, Kerri Green, and, well, this is Mornington.

Quealy’s Chardonnay is from a half-hectare plot of vines on Musk Creek Vineyard in Main Ridge. This well-established, dry-grown site is already a source of Pinot Noir for the team and is highly regarded for producing top-quality Mornington Chardonnay. Perched atop Main Ridge at 150 metres—and planted in 1997 by Tom’s parents, Kevin McCarthy and Kathleen Quealy—it’s a cool, low-yielding, late-ripening site rich in the region’s signature red soils.

It was another poor flowering season on the peninsula, resulting in low crops of small bunches and berries with incredible concentration. The fruit was picked by hand in the middle of March and pressed as bunches to barrel (approximately 30% new) with full solids for fermentation. Tom stirred the lees sparingly throughout and moved the wine as little as possible to coax the mineral character from the fruit. The wine matured in puncheons for 10 months. This is flat-out delicious: fragrant and fuelled by citrus, apples and blossoms with juicy texture, mouthwatering, saline acidity and a mineral flecked, lingering close. It’s another tasty rendition of Chardonnay, grown and made the Quealy way.

Musk Creek’s volcanic soils and maritime influence give the Chardonnay purity and tension. Fruit is handpicked, wild fermented, and aged in a mix of seasoned and new French oak, with full malolactic fermentation and extended time on lees. The result is a wine that’s layered and savoury, yet tightly wound and full of finesse.

Aromas of white peach, preserved lemon, almond meal and flint unfold gently, with subtle hints of struck match and toasted hazelnut. The palate is finely textured and mineral, with stone fruit, citrus pith, and a saline edge that adds precision and drive. It’s not showy—it’s confident, balanced, and built for food.

Brilliant with roast chicken and tarragon, pan-seared scallops, or a creamy leek and mushroom tart. It’s a wine that speaks quietly but leaves a lasting impression.