2019 Scorpo Eocene Chardonnay

Scorpo

Australia / Mornington Peninsula / Scorpo

A seductive nose, yet one that holds its cards close to the chest with restraint and elegance showcased. Fresh lemon and lime dominate the fruits, however florals are equally present with orange blossom and jasmine. There is an openness to the nose, much like a walk in a meadow with fresh flowers and cut grass. The palate supports the nose – elegance, restraint, freshness and purity. It is precise and detailed with a fine gravelly seam driving the core long and deep. The fruits are again lemon and lime with a smattering of flowers. Hints of toast and nutmeg in the background provide an added richness and complexity to a well composed wine. - Paul Scorpo

Jane Faulkner

Halliday Wine Companion 2022

96 points.

As you’d expect for the flagship white, this is hand-picked fruit, whole-bunch pressed to French barrels, 25% new, and aged 12 months. No mlf and no lees stirring. Tight as a drum, shot with racy acidity. And no shortage of very flinty sulphides, which would be too much funky reduction, if not for the weight and richness of fruit to balance. Complex, assured, rich, textural, savoury and compelling.

October, 2021

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

95 points.

Plenty of sulphide and struck match stuff here, alongside Japanese ginger, chamomile, and mixed citrus. It’s tight and hungry, like a Mesonyx on the hunt, with brown pear drizzled with lime, all chalky and flinty, with a cool spicy and zesty tang to close. You have to like them a bit wild and woolly, but excellent wine of bony charm and finesse.

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About Scorpo

Scorpo has for some time sat comfortably within the highest rank of Australian cool-climate winegrowers, quietly composing excellent wines and steadily raising the bar year upon year. The planning, planting, nurturing and honing of the vineyard absorb the attention of trained horticulturist and landscape architect Paul Scorpo. The process of perfecting the site continues, with closer plantings and more precise clonal selections the latest developments. The vineyard rolls over red/brown, clay-rich soils derived from tertiary Eocene volcanics dating back about 40 million years. The vines are planted at an altitude of between 70 and 100m on a north- to northeast-facing slope with a 10% gradient. It’s a brilliant suntrap with ideal drainage to slowly grow and ripen grapes. The celebrated Pinot Gris is planted both here and on the other side of the ridge - the southwest-exposed slope towards Port Phillip Bay. The wines are consistently imbued with nuance, depth and texture. They are wines which - without ever raising their voice - resonate equally with the mind and senses.

About

Fine wine is in the Scorpo blood, stretching across generations and geography – from Sicily to Sardinia and now Australia. Paul has worked for over 25 years as a horticulturalist and landscape architect, and this professional and personal connection to the land has instilled the importance of care and consideration for environments at Scorpo Wines. The Scorpo family has a strong connection to their vineyard – the unique land, soil and climate are what enable them to produce distinctive wines with a sense of place. Paul and wife Caroline searched for four years to find the ideal site for their vineyard. Having extensively researched the Mornington Peninsula’s cool, maritime microclimates, they realised that this area was the perfect place for their project. Now this family is making the most of this heritage by growing premium grapes to express their beloved pocket of the peninsula.