The new kid on the block, Quealy has been managing this site since 2021. Established by Kelly and John Ballis in 1995, the Halarah site is a natural amphitheatre with a NW aspect, reaching up to 180m. With beautiful rich, basalt-derived volcanic soils, the vineyard is one of the most exposed and southerly sites on the Mornington Peninsula. Due to the cold spring winds off the bay, yields are particularly low in cooler vintages; this is a site that excels in warmer years, when it is always the last Pinot vineyard to be harvested.
The dry-grown vineyard is planted to a mixture of own-rooted clones, MV6, D2V5, D5V12 and G5V15. After a string of challenging vintages, 2025 brought a healthy fruit set, normal crop loads and a beautiful growing season, followed by superb ripening without any real weather pressure. The fruit was hand harvested on 12 March and fermented with indigenous yeast, spending an average of 21 days on skins. The wine then aged for 10 months in French hogsheads and puncheon. The result is intense varietal flavour, full tannin development and good acid retention, all of which drive real site definition in what is potentially a classic year.