Wine of the week: an epic pinot noir from Australia

(Image credit: 2019 Stonier, Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia)

published 7 June 2021

2019 Stonier, Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia

£22.99, reduced to £18.99 in a “mix six”, majestic.co.uk

The delicious 2018 is perilously low in stock in store (and has sold out online), but I am told there will be no out-of-stock calamities for this wine! The Mornington Peninsula region, situated an hour south of Melbourne, makes arguably the finest boutique pinot noir in the world, outside of the Côte d’Or in Burgundy. I hosted an online masterclass last month and every single wine was a winner. I urge you to seek out examples from Moorooduc Estate, Paringa Estate, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Kooyong, Ocean Eight, Scorpo, Crittenden Estate and my featured Stonier. These are all elite wineries with epic wines and I do not use these descriptors lightly.

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Stonier is the least expensive wine in the line-up and yet stood shoulder to shoulder with the big guns. It is, therefore, my nominated “cheerleader”. If you are new to Mornington, let Stonier be your guide to the treasures found here. The 2019 draws on fruit from across this unique maritime region and, with 5% of whole bunches used and even 10% new French oak in the mix, it has some of the filigree detail that adds complexity and flair to these exquisite wines.

I have known Stonier winemaker Mike Symons for nearly 20 years and he is one of the most considered, modest and supremely talented chaps in the country. His skill is not to be understated, particularly when you weigh up the value afforded by this impossibly beautiful wine.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com).

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Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.