Australia: Ten Minutes By Tractor - 10X Pinot Noir 2024, Mornington Peninsula

Grape variety: 100% Pinot Noir. 13% alcohol. 

"Remarkable wine that punches well above its price level”- Huon Hooke, The Real Review

"Ten Minutes By Tractor is a major force to be reckoned with in the world of global Pinot Noir worship" - Matthew Jukes 

While a lighthearted name - so-called as their three neighbouring vineyards are each 'ten minutes by tractor' apart - this estate happens to be one of the finest sources of Pinot Noir not just in Australia but the whole world. 

Owned and run by the Spedding family, their wines are legendary in wine circles and while they weren't the first producer on the Peninsula, their single-vineyard bottlings from the 2000 vintage onwards were quickly recognised as being amongst the very best. This is an epic producer.

In some vintages and for some time now, Mornington Pinot Noirs have tended to be more accessible, reliable, and true-to-style than equivalent Burgundies, thanks to the Peninsula's exposure to cooling ocean breezes lessening the effect of rising temperatures, moderating ripeness and thus alcohol, and preserving freshness.

This might be Australia, yes, but ditch the stereotypes: this is a cool-climate region, just a ten minute drive (by car!) from the notoriously breezy Bass Strait. They even get a touch less ripeness here than at Danbury Ridge, Essex!

The producers on the Mornington Peninsula, around an hour's drive south of Melbourne, are all small-scale and unshowy, and mostly family owned and run. Quite a few run their own restaurants on site, making the area a foodie paradise. There are no corporate behemoths churning out mass-market brands here! 

Sustainability at Ten Minutes By Tractor: here, we are talking small-batch wild ferments i.e. the use of indigenous yeasts naturally present in the vineyard and winery (instead of using mass-produced 'cultured' yeasts that come in a bag!) for spontaneous rather than winemaker-induced fermentation. 

The estate is run along organic and regenerative lines which involves: preserving soil health and biodiversity, zero herbicide use, cover cropping, water efficiency, a lot of work by hand on canopy management to minimise disease risk naturally rather than via frequent spraying. 

Winemaking here is top-notch: spontaneous fermentations require much more focused and attentive winemaking, while oak is used here only to support/frame the wines, not to flavour them.

All of this estate's Pinots (of which there are several from various vineyard blocks) sit at 13% alcohol - which any honest winemaker will tell you is spot on for this variety, and increasingly a rarity in several recent vintages in Burgundy and elsewhere. 

This wine spent 5 months in French oak barrels, only 15% of which were new, and it was fermented only by wild yeasts. 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes: “Vibrant red cherry, raspberry compote and chinotto fill the luscious palate…underlying baking spice gives a lovely savoury backbone.”

Food pairing:

Light to medium red-meats: lamb, duck, game, especially with gentle pan sauces or reductions. Herby or earthy dishes e.g. mushrooms, root-vegetables, chestnut/spice, dishes with thyme/rosemary/sage. Delicate poultry or richer fish - think duck breast, roast chicken with herbs, salmon or trout with light jus or berry-glaze.

What the critics say:

"Ten Minutes By Tractor is a major force to be reckoned with in the world of global Pinot Noir worship" - Matthew Jukes 

"The wines from this estate have become classier and classier with each passing year. Indeed, it's fast heading for elite status" - Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh 

93 points - Huon Hooke, The Real Review: “Deep, bright red with a good tint of purple; the bouquet starts with smoky/meaty charcuterie reductive characters, rich ripe black cherry underneath. The palate is full and rich with good concentration, extract and persuasive tannins that supply an excellent backbone of structure. A powerful pinot noir with real presence and persistence. Remarkable wine that punches well above its price level.”

Ten Minutes By Tractor is "a stand out; a benchmark" - Jancis Robinson MW