Tasting Profile
April 2024
The Morillon Chardonnay is sourced from 0.1 hectare within the oldest Chardonnay block (1.3 hectares) at Port Phillip Estate’s Red Hill vineyard. This block was planted in 1988 on a site nestled among folds of the hilly country in Red Hill. The Red Hill vineyard is dominated by red basalt, yet the Chardonnay block is planted in an area of sandy grey loam over yellow clay. With maturity, the original block consistently produces wine with an extra level of structure, balance and intensity. We bottle a small portion separately as the ultimate expression of Chardonnay from this vineyard.
The 2023 Morillon Chardonnay is expressive and layered, offering an alluring nose of grapefruit and citrus flesh, fresh lemon blossom, and white peach. Beneath this brightness lie savoury nuances of grilled cashew, crème fraîche, and subtle hints of flint and oyster shell woven together with gentle notes of oak toast and spice. It’s a wine that reveals its intricacy slowly, with each swirl of the glass uncovering another dimension. The palate is vibrant and finely detailed, opening with flavours of grapefruit citrus carried on a bright line of acidity. Subtle phenolics lend tension and structure, while a creamy mid-palate, infused with almond meal and spiced apple from extended lees contact, provides volume and texture. Long, poised, and intricately composed, this Chardonnay will continue to evolve, offering increasing depth and complexity with time in the cellar.
13.5% alc.
Tasting Profile 2023
Tasting Profile 2022
Tasting Profile 2021
Reviews
Wine Pilot, March 2025
Jeni Port
A single block Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay you can set your watch to. Each release boasts an incredible energy married to exhilarating fruit. It never disappoints. The 2023 Morillon is an exercise in precision with a cool, low cropping vintage intensity. Aromas in citrus, nectarine, white peach, struck flint with lemon sorbet lift and verve. Pure fruit on the palate with a real fine-ness, so don’t over chill before serving. Flows brightly aided by a pulsing, bright acidity in league with ripe stone fruits, citrus, grapefruit pith with notes of lees-defined nougat and integrated vanillin oak. A real beauty of a Chardonnay.
95 points
The Wine Front, March 2025
Gary Walsh
From a block planted in 1988. 20% new French oak. A little struck match, white nectarine, grapefruit, lemon oil, light spiced oak. Flavour, intensity, a little cashew nut richness, lemon zest, and a bright finish of excellent length and precision. Juicy, with lots of zip and energy.
94+ points
Jancisrobinson.com, March 2025
Tamlin Currin
From the oldest block of Chardonnay in the Red Hill vineyard, east facing on sandy grey loam. Sustainable viticulture. Hand-picked. Whole-bunch pressed to French oak. Spontaneous fermentation in mostly puncheons and a range of other oak barrels, 20% new. No malolactic fermentation. Aged for around 10–11 months. A mercurial wine, changing in the glass moment to moment. Citrus. Then savoury, the smell of roasting hops. Chiselled, geometric, lapidary. Fractal. Spine-tingling. Ripe grapefruit, pomelo and lime. Crushed stones in the spine. Bitter orange. You cannot taste the oak at all, perhaps because there is so much here. The texture of poured glass. Complex and very elegant.
17.5 points
Halliday Wine Companion, March 2025
Jane Faulkner
Another very good chardonnay vintage, another very good Morillon. Upfront sulphides – all smoky and flinty – a real tease of funk. Good fruit to back that up – all citrusy and tangy, the palate reined-in by fine acidity, a gossamer layer of creamy lees and oak spice. Its outlook is savoury. It gives a drink-now impression yet will build more complexity in time.
95 points
The Vintage
The Vineyard
The Port Phillip Estate Red Hill vineyard is located on the Mornington Peninsula on Eocene volcanic soils. Our wines are made from domain grown, handpicked grapes and aim to manifest terroir: the integration of our geology and soils with the macroclimate of our region, the mesoclimates of the various sites within our vineyard and the weather of the annual grape growing season. Our cultural operations in the vineyard and practices in the winery endeavour to articulate these unique characteristics diligently, respectfully and without artifice.