Quealy: New Release Pinots

Game on: Top-Drawer Mornington Pinots from “an Exceptional year”
Quealy: New Release Pinots
“2023 will be remembered as one of those great vintages,” says Tom McCarthy. “It was an exceptional year with perfect ripening conditions—there just wasn’t very much to ripen.” So, a rinse-and-repeat of the previous year, with poor flowering yet again dramatically reducing eventual crops. For bunches that made it, though, ripening was idyllically long and leisurely. The result was immaculate Pinot fruit of exceptional flavour intensity—perhaps even dialled up from 2022—not to mention acute varietal and site distinction.

This alluring suite of Pinots rounds off an impressive trifecta for Quealy. Its exciting 2023 whites, released late last year, cleaned up at the recent Halliday Awards, with Feri Maris taking home the gong for Pinot Grigio of the Year. Then, last week, they launched the Turbul range, a gripping set of extended-maceration whites inspired by the iconic skinsy wines of Italy’s northeast (check these out if you haven’t already).

McCarthy puts Quealy’s impressive trajectory with Pinot squarely down to uncompromising viticulture among its mature vines. “We’re working with the same vineyards year after year; this allows us to really dial into each site,” he told us. “We can nail the picking dates and avoid making any compromises.” No compromises and no false moves— this light-touch family knows how to leave things be. McCarthy moves the wines as little as possible to preserve freshness and allow each parcel to shine. And, in 2023, destemming was the go for ultimate transparency. “The fruit looked borderline perfect; I didn’t have the heart to go bunchy.”

Fragrant, lithe and savoury, expect good and proper Mornington Pinot from an estate at the top of its game.

The Wines

Quealy Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2023
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Quealy Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2023

The only blended Pinot in the range is drawn from all five of Quealy’s premium vineyards, from the lower-lying Campbell & Christine to the late-ripening Musk Creek Vineyard. Planted to different clones and with varying degrees of vine age, what binds these sites together is Quealy farming—led by viticulturist Will Byles, the estate manages every vine. All ferments were wild and spent an average of 25 days on skins. The batches matured in older barrels for 12 months before assembling and bottling.

2023 was the third low-yielding season in a row for Quealy, with crops down more than 50% in some sites. That said, the ripening season couldn’t have gone better. The fruit enjoyed a warm, lengthy autumn, so ripening was slow and even, and the resulting wine is concentrated and balanced. With the fruit selected for ripeness and gentle tannin, this is the estate’s most generous, early-drinking Pinot. It’s light, bright and lifted with lip-smacking, crunchy red fruits mixed with spice and sweet/savoury tang. Moreish stuff.

Quealy Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2023
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Quealy KK01 Pinot Noir 2023
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Quealy KK01 Pinot Noir 2023

Organic. Now in its fifth year, KK01 has secured its position as a mainstay among Quealy’s fantastic range of Mornington Pinot Noirs. The fruit is sourced from two blocks of younger, dry-grown MV6 vines in Quealy’s certified-organic home vineyard in Balnarring. These vines, planted in 1994, are a stone's throw from the famed old-vine Seventeen Rows plot.

The aim for KK01 has always been to craft a delicious, earth-to-glass Pinot with immediate charm and appeal. Hence, there’s a strong carbonic element, little sulphur addition and no impact from new wood. The fruit was picked over two days at the end of March. It was destemmed and fermented as whole berries with no plunging. The wine was pressed after 27 days and matured in seasoned puncheons for 14 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The nature of the vintage combined with Quealy’s organic practice means yields were paltry in 2023—even lower than in 2022. Though there may not be much of it, KK01 shines its brightest yet in 2023. A charming nose of red flowers and berries leads to a flowing, fleshy yet zesty palate with flecks of blood orange and amaro herbs. It’s clear these vines are hitting their straps.

Quealy KK01 Pinot Noir 2023
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Quealy Musk Creek Pinot Noir 2023
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Quealy Musk Creek Pinot Noir 2023

Musk Creek vineyard, perched atop Main Ridge and planted in 1997 by Kevin McCarthy and Kathleen Quealy, is considerably cooler and hence later-ripening than Quealy’s Tussie Mussie or Balnarring sites. As such, it’s a marginal place to ripen Pinot, and low yields are a must (along with plenty of canopy work). Sitting at 150 metres, these mature, dry-grown vines are rooted in the rich red soils of the region. The four-hectare site is planted to Pinot Noir (mostly MV6) and Gris in equal measure, with another hectare dedicated to Muscat Rouge à Petits Grains and Chardonnay.

As with the preceding vintage, the intense, low-yielding season warranted a more measured approach with bunches in the ferment. The low berry-to-stalk ratio didn’t warrant its use, so Tom destemmed all the fruit to better capture purity and precision. Fruit was harvested on 5th April and fermented over 28 days in small, two-tonne fermenters with minimal plunging and only light pressing. The wine rested on full lees in French hogsheads (25% new) for 13 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Elegant, savoury and complex, the quality of the vintage and site announces itself with finely pitched acidity and lengthy draw of suede tannins.

Quealy Musk Creek Pinot Noir 2023
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Quealy Campbell & Christine Pinot Noir 2023
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Quealy Campbell & Christine Pinot Noir 2023

With Musk Creek and Tussie Mussie, this site completes the trio of Quealy’s premier-league, leased Mornington Peninsula vineyards. Established by doctors Campbell and Christine Penfold in 1994, it mainly features the MV6 clone. Some 114 and 115 were also planted, taking advantage of the premium clones that became available around the same time. Located on the coastal plain, it sits just 30 metres above sea level behind Balnarring village. It’s a dry-grown, well-exposed, north-facing site with alluvial clay and red soils washed down from Red Hill. Tom McCarthy tells us it produces “gorgeous, small bunches of glossy Pinot Noir”. Stylistically, Campbell & Christine sits at the more concentrated, muscular end of the Pinot spectrum.

This site is famed for producing powerful fruit, and the paltry yields in 2023 have heightened this further. With that in mind, Tom took a mindful, gentle approach in the cellar. The fruit came off the vine in pristine condition on 23rd March and was destemmed to mostly small vats for fermentation, with a small portion fermented in barrel. The wine was pressed to barrel after 21 days for 14 months’ maturation in hogsheads, 25% of which were new. The wine was then bottled unfined and unfiltered in June 2024. This has serious flavour–juicy red fruits with some black cherry depth, earth, spice and a tea leaf/floral lift. It’s supple and seductive, with svelte structure and fine, fresh lines. Great length, too.

Quealy Campbell & Christine Pinot Noir 2023
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“The future looks bright for Quealy Winemakers, with eldest son Tom joining the business in 2012 ... Great things are seldom born of conformity.” Huon Hooke, Gourmet Traveller Wine

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Winery rating “Kathleen Quealy and Kevin McCarthy were among the early waves of winemakers on the Mornington Peninsula. They challenged the status quo - most publicly by introducing Mornington Peninsula pinot gris/grigio (with great success). Behind this was improvement and diversification in site selection, plus viticulture and winemaking techniques that allowed their business to grow significantly.” James Halliday, Winecompanion.com.au

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