The Terre Maritime is drawn from several rows of Chardonnay in the top corner of Merricks Grove. Barney Flanders has always felt this parcel results in a superb and unique Chardonnay. Here, the 29-year-old vines are rooted in cool grey loam with pockets of red ferrosol. The plot sits at 90 metres and faces south-east, offering the vines a cooler, more sheltered aspect. There’s less vigour here than in the rest of the vineyard and the bunches are a touch smaller. As a result, the fruit from this parcel makes the intense yet finessed wines we associate with Garagiste Chardonnay.
After rigorous sorting in both vineyard and winery, the fruit was whole-bunch pressed direct to 500-litre puncheon, where it wild-fermented without temperature control before resting on gross lees for nine months. The outstanding ’25 vintage has left its mark. The wine is salt-licked and clean, living up to its namesake. It opens with zaps of acidity and a lightning-strike of flint followed by a budding glow from white stone fruit and anise spice. It’s a gorgeous, don’t miss Mornington Chardonnay that will reward patient and impatient drinkers alike.