A Feast… and Famine Ahead!
Good news. We will be releasing the full range of the traditional style Main Ridge Estate wines in the coming months, plus two first release wines from the Trueman Vineyard. The 2021 Chardonnays can be purchased now, by phone, email, online or at the cellar door.
The 2021 ‘Half Acre’, ‘The Acre’, ‘Trueman Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Merlot will all be ready for release before the upcoming Festive season.
However, there will be limited stock availability. In light of an ongoing stock shortage, and to look after our loyal customers, we need to limit sales to a maximum of 6 bottles of each label per order.
It’s no secret that the past 3 years have been tough for most Mornington Peninsula wine makers – the combined impacts of COVID, export market changes and challenging weather. Production volumes were down by around 50% each year, and the flow-on reduced stock availability will be seen through to 2023. We are grateful we had the opportunity to take on the nearby Trueman vineyard in 2021 to partially fill the stock gap, and pray for a ‘normal’ vintage in 2023!
About The Trueman Vineyard
As announced in 2021, our good friends and neighbours John and Julie Trueman are gradually winding down their wine making with a view to retiring… one day!
Under the guidance of Nat White, they commenced planting their nearby Myrtaceae vineyard in 1984. The 3 acre high elevation vineyard is planted on the east facing slope of the Main Ridge line. An east facing block of Chardonnay greets you as you enter the property, with a north facing block of Pinot Noir located further back.
The extra elevation and easterly aspects make the Trueman’s vineyard one of the coolest sites on the Peninsula. These attributes help to produce Chardonnay with wonderful fruit complexity and good natural acidity. To showcase these qualities, we will continue to naturally ferment the wines in barrel, however will avoid the use of new barrels for the Trueman Chardonnay, favouring seasoned second and third use barrels. In contrast, our Estate Chardonnay typically has around 30% new oak barrels.
2021 Chardonnay Tasting Notes
Overall, the 2021 vintage produced fruit of wonderful quality, albeit once again in limited quantities. This was due to the troublesome weather conditions experienced in 2020 impacting the vines bud development period. Both Chardonnays were harvested in the first week of April, as autumnal weather conditions truly set in. The naturally chilled fruit, allowed for slow even ferments that helped build further nuance to the wines, which as always will benefit greatly with further cellaring.
A New Look
Main Ridge Estate wine bottles are distinctive, and the label seems to have been around forever. The current label was launched 25 years ago – classical style, low key, and evocative of Burgundian wines.
You may be surprised to learn there were 3 other Main Ridge Estate labels between 1975 and 1997, which evolved as the business grew, and as labelling requirements changed. The familiar MRE crest has been on all labels bar the very first.
Our product range has expanded, and wine labelling compliance laws have increased, so the time has come for a refresh.
We approached this change cautiously, the design brief being “evolution, not revolution”. The final symmetrical, arched design we selected is like earlier MRE labels – which the designer had not seen. The cap has not changed, making it easy to find MRE wine in your wine rack.
We are pleased with the result and trust you like it too.
How to Order Wine
Order direct: email libby@mre.com.au or call us on 03 59892686
