Ten Minutes by Tractor


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SPARKLING BLANC DE BLANCS 2019
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Lower than average rainfall and relatively standard temperatures over winter, and cooler temperatures in August and September, led to late budburst and flowering. However, above average temperatures and low rainfall during summer meant an early veraison and harvest. The period between flowering and veraison saw our warmest ever average minimum and second warmest maximums. Veraison to harvest was our fourth warmest maximums and our driest. Five days of above average temperatures at the beginning of harvest compressed the vintage further. Yields are normal and fruit quality is outstanding.

Fruit was whole bunch pressed. 4 months in 5 year old barriques with minimal bâtonnage. Partial malolactic fermentation. The base wine was then assembled and tiraged to bottle after 32 months on lees. The wine was riddled and disgorged and topped with our own liqueur made from back and current vintage wine with a 3g/L dosage. Disgorged 9 January 2023.

 

10X ROSE 2024

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This rose displays classic Provence style blush pink colouring. The wine is 100% pinot noir coming from various vineyards across the Mornington Peninsula balancing weight and concentration from lower elevation sites and freshness and minerality coming from cooler Main ridge vineyards.

The fruit is all handpicked and is whole bunch pressed into older barriques for fermentation. A small portion is kept as whole bunches allowing for carbonic maceration that adds a roundness to the palate. The wine undergoes partial malolactic, retaining freshness and verve. A short maturation of 4 months in older French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

“Very pale, with a rose gold hue in the light. Red cherry, smoky bacon and oyster brine aromatics. Good intensity of cherry fruit at the core with layers of ground spices and hints of smoky pork all adding complexity and character here. Acidity winds through it, driving it well but allowing the fuller texture to remain on show. Long on the palate and finishes with a touch of tannin driven grip that works well. Will really sing with food.” – 94 pts – Stuart Knox – The Real Review

 

10X PINOT GRIS 2024
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The 2024 10x Pinot gris is sourced from leased vineyards, Osborne and Hunts road. Both sites are in the northern section of the Mornington Peninsula near Bittern which is at lower altitudes than the vineyard sites in Main ridge and Red Hill, typically showcasing riper fruit with great concentration.

The fruit is all hand picked before rigorous sorting in the winery. The fruit is whole bunch pressed on a gentle cycle before wild fermentation occurs in both concrete and neutral oak barrels of varying sizes. A small percentage of the barrels were selected and underwent battonage to further increase the texture. The wine was matured for 4 months post malolactic fermentation in 5-8 year old barrels.

 

10X CHARDONNAY 2024
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The 2024 10X Chardonnay is sourced predominantly from what the winery refers to as the ‘down the hill’ sites from leased vineyards of Osbourne, Hunts Road & Mills. ‘Seasoning added’ from their now esteemed McCutcheon & Wallis vineyards in Main Ridge, part of the original founding families of Ten Minutes by Tractor.

Hand picked. 100% barrel fermented to a combination of French barrique & puncheons (touch of Austrian in the blend) from Taransaud 11% new oak. Imogen (head winemaker) remarks on her enjoyment of using this cooper due to it’s subtlety which works well with the Mornington fruit. Some battonage and partial malolactic. 5 months in Oak.

“A refined nose of lemon sorbet, pink grapefruit and frangipanni flowers. Some underlying shortbread crust. The palate shows flavours of pink grapefruit and orange pith, preserved lemon and ginger. The vibrant and refreshing nature of this wine leaves you with a lovely moreish, savory, saline finish” – Tasting notes by Imogen + Martin

 

10X PINOT NOIR 2024
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Affordable yet high quality Pinot Noir from the Mornington? | know, there’s something wrong in the maths. But Martin Spedding’s passion to continue to make the 10X range with as much care as the Estate and Single Vineyard sites receive is a reflection on his attention to detail in all things Ten Minutes by Tractor.

The larger part of this wine comes from the family owned Coolart Road vineyard, ‘Down the Hill’ from the winery itself in Red Hill and a site with a higher clay content which is reflected in the style of this wine, along with parcels from Hunts Road, Capella, Wallis, Paradigm Hill with a dash from McCutcheon, one of the other single vineyard bottlings the estate produce.

Hand-sorted, with the majority of the fruit being destemmed. Some of the parcels (particularly the vineyards with higher elevation such as McCutcheon) see some whole-bunch but it’s very much just a touch of seasoning than a defining part of the winemaking for the 10X.

Cold soaked for 4 days prior to fermentation. Fermented in a combination of concrete (the winery has a large % of small to medium sized open top concrete fermenters) and stainless steel. Elevage in French barrique and puncheon for 5 months, 15% new.

“An inviting perfumed nose of black forest cake, red fruits, florals, and creaming soda. Vibrant red cherry, raspberry compote and chinotto fill the luscious palate. This is followed by underlying baking spice to give a lovely savory backbone.  Well-integrated powdery tannins give structure and length” – Tasting notes by Imogen + Martin

 

10X TASMANIAN PINOT NOIR 2024
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The 2024 10x Tasmanian Pinot Noir is the first Tasmanian pinot noir from the Ten Minutes by Tractor team. Smaller yields from the 2024 vintage saw the team look further afield to source quality fruit from vineyards in the Tamar and Derwent Valley.

The 2024 vintage in Tasmania experienced a warmer and drier start than previous years giving ideal conditions for good fruit set and larger bunch sizes across both regions. There is a diverse clonal selection for the 2024 10X ensuring complexity. Dijon clones 115 and 114 as well as Pommard, Abel, D5V12, 8104 are all included in the blend.

Fruit is all handpicked and sorted by hand before a 3-day cold soak. Ferments begin with natural yeasts and spend 15 days on skins in a combination of concrete and stainless-steel fermenters. Lightly pressed off the skins and transferred into French oak Barriques and Puncheons for 8 months with 15% new oak. Malolactic occurs in barrel and the wine is lightly filtered before bottling.

 

10X SHIRAZ 2023
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The 2023 10x shiraz is sourced from the Paradigm hill vineyard in Merricks and Hunts Road vineyard near Bittern. The cool climate of the Mornington Peninsula only allows Shiraz to ripen in certain vineyard sites, Western aspects and lower elevations are essential to ripening this thicker skinned varietal in the Mornington Peninsula.

 The fruit is all hand harvested and sorted into individual parcels before being destemmed. The fruit then underwent a pre fermentation cold soak for 5 days, the process enhancing the softness of tannins and a rounded mouth feel. Tannin extraction was gentle with singular pump overs daily and a racking post fermentation. The wine is pressed after 16 day fermentation and transferred to oak barrels for Malolactic. The wine matures for 11 months in both new and older french oak barrels before bottling unfined and unfiltered.

 

ESTATE RIESLING 2024
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The 2024 Estate Riesling is sourced from the Paradigm Hill vineyard in Merricks. Riesling is scarcely planted across the Mornington Peninsula but thrives in the cool climate

Fruit was handpicked and chilled overnight before a gentle whole bunch press. Juice was then settled in stainless steel to remove gross lees. Wild fermentation occurred in concrete vessels with only the light fluffy lees retaining delicate primary fruit aromas. No malolactic fermentation occurs resulting in great natural acidity and drive on the palate. The wine rested in stainless steel for 2 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Residual sugar around 2g/L gives a soft and pillowy feel to the generous body.

 

ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2023
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The 2023 Estate Chardonnay is a blend of the estate’s top single vineyards, Gabrielle, Mills, McCutcheon and Wallis. Each site adds a layer of complexity to the Ten Minutes signature Chardonnay.

All fruit is hand picked, hand sorted and whole bunch pressed separately, lightly racked then transferred into seasoned french oak barrels for wild fermentation. Malolactic was spontaneous and completed varying levels across the barrel selection. The wine is matured for 10 months in French oak barrels (17% New) then transferred to concrete for a further 6 weeks before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

95 pts – Gold Medal, Royal Sydney Wine Show

 

ESTATE ‘DOWN THE HILL’ PINOT NOIR 2023
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The 2023 ‘Down the Hill’ Pinot Noir highlights the sub regional differences between Main ridge fruit and those from lower elevations. Earthy and Dark fruited Pinot Noir sourced from the Estates Coolart Road vineyard as well as the Mihaly vineyard (Merricks).

All fruit is handpicked and hand sorted before being destemmed, a small amount of whole bunches were used in varying parcels. Fermented in Concrete and Stainless steel vessels before being pressed into barrels, a mix of Barrique and Puncheon was used. The wine is rested for 10 months in 12% new oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

 

ESTATE ‘UP THE HILL’ PINOT NOIR 2023
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The 2023 Estate ‘Up the Hill’ Pinot Noir is from carefully selected parcels from main ridge vineyards to show clarity of the up the hill sub region of Mornington. Vineyards for the 2023 vintage include Judd, Wallis, Spedding and McCutcheon.

Fruit is all handpicked and sorted before being destemmed, a key stylistic choice for up the hill, showcasing pure fruit intensity and terroir expression. A 4-5 day cold soak before fermentation begins, ferments are kept cool and extraction is light. Wines are racked into French oak barrels for maturation, spending 10 months in oak (13% new).

 

The Wallis Vineyard was first planted in 1992 by the Wallis family, focusing on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It sits between 110 and 142 metres and whilst considered a part of the ‘Up the Hill’ vineyards Ten Minutes by Tractor bottle as single site expressions it’s the first one you reach as you climb in altitude.

All fruit was handpicked and whole bunch pressed into small and large format oak for wild yeast fermentation. Malolactic ensued naturally and reached 68%. The wine matured for 10 months in larger oak puncheons with 25% new oak.

Low yields is definitely the flavour of the 2022 vintage thus the 2022 Wallis Vineyard Chardonnay offers great generosity and power. Low yields of smaller bunches equal great concentration.

The 2022 Wallis Chardonnay exhibits exotic spice and floral notes with hints of oyster shell and cumquat. An alluring wine with linear acidity and great complexity.

“Creamy bouquet with fluffy lees nuances over dried citrus peel, oak invisible, the palate tense and refined with a terrific line of acidity that draws the finish out. Appetizing, super-refreshing finish. 2024–2034.” – 96 pts – Huon Hooke – The Real Review

 

WALLIS CHARDONNAY 2023
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The Wallis Vineyard was first planted in 1992 by the Wallis family, focusing on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It sits between 110 and 142 metres and whilst considered a part of the ‘Up the Hill’ vineyards Ten Minutes by Tractor bottle as single site expressions it’s the first one you reach as you climb in altitude.

The 2023 vintage experienced higher than average rainfall during flowering and over the course of the vintage resulting in lower yields across all sites. Flavour and sugar development were prolonged resulting in great intensity and drive.

The Wallis vineyard is 100% P58 clone, fruit is all handpicked and hand sorted before being whole bunch pressed into large and smaller format French oak barrels for wild yeast fermentation. Malolactic is natural and the wine matures in barrel for 11 months before bottling.

 

The 2023 Judd Vineyard Chardonnay is a classic example of this well established site, 30 year old vines producing concentrated wines with pure fruit intensity. This west facing vineyard benefits from extended daytime hours throughout the growing season, resulting in wines with incredible intensity and drive.

All fruit is handpicked and sorted before being whole bunch pressed into tank. The juice is settled overnight then racked into french oak barrique for fermentation. Ferments are with indigenous yeasts enhancing the natural terroir expression of the Judd Vineyard. Maturation is for 9 months in new (10%) and seasoned oak barrels.

 

MCCUTCHEON PINOT NOIR 2023
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The 2023 McCutcheon Pinot Noir is a quintessential Main Ridge Pinot Noir, exhibiting alluring red fruits and bright floral notes with textbook ferrous minerality. This Mature vineyard with vines over 30 years old continually delivers elegance and sophistication.

McCutcheon vineyard fruit is all handpicked and sorted before 100% destemming. A pre ferment cold soak occurs before being Fermented in 1 tonne Stainless steel tanks. Post ferment the wines are pressed into barrels of varying sizes, both puncheons and Barrique for 10 months with around 18% new oak.

 

WALLIS PINOT NOIR 2022
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The Wallis Vineyard was first planted in 1992 by the Wallis family, focusing on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It sits between 110 and 142 metres and whilst considered a part of the ‘Up the Hill’ vineyards Ten Minutes by Tractor bottle as single site expressions it’s the first one you reach as you climb in altitude.

The 2022 Wallis Pinot Noir is hand-picked from individually selected vineyard blocks within the single vineyard plantings.

The MV6 parcel is fermented in Italian concrete fermenters. Clone 115 remained in Stainless steel. Maturation for 9 months in 18% new French oak. The separate parcels are then blended post maturation.

The 2022 Wallis Pinot Noir has a dark and alluring nose with red cherry, plum and violets.

Silky firm tannins provide structure for the intensity of flavours, presenting Blackcurrant, cherry and dried rose petal.

“Spicy dark and red fruits on the bouquet; concentrated flavour with lovely intensity and drive. Balsamic herbs and violets. Real richness, fleshy density, compact, with terrific focus, line and length. 2024–2034.” – 95 Points – Huon Hooke, The Real Review

“This is fine, firm and delicious. Sweet spice notes step politely through a field of strawberry and red cherry fruit flavour. A dry, leaf-like note adds extra spread to both the tannin and the finish in general. This is pretty much pitch perfect all over. A meaty/smoky character lurks around the edges, in a positive way, and it feels polished throughout. It’s frisky but there’s enough substance and general complexity to well and truly satisfy.” – 95 pts – Campbell Mattinson – The Wine Front

 

HEATHCOTE SHIRAZ VIOGNIER 2022
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Sourced from the Merindoc Vineyard in the cooler foothills of the Heathcote region. The inclusion of viognier adds aromatic lift and intensity to the shiraz which exhibits power and depth of flavour.

The shiraz was all handpicked then divided into two parcels, the fruit was transferred into stainless steel.  The first ferment included 30% whole bunches and the second was co-fermented with viognier. Wine was kept on skins for 14 days before pressed into a mix of older and new French oak barriques where the wine remained for 13 months before bottling.

 

MIHALY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2023
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The 2023 Mihaly Vineyard Pinot Noir is the first release of this exciting new wine, the vineyard is located in Merricks, to the East of Main Ridge. George and Ruth Mihaly founded this site with their winery; Paradigm Hill, A stalwart of the Mornington Peninsula crafting engaging and refined Pinot Noirs from this 10 acre site.

The vineyard is planted on a north facing slope, perfectly positioned for maximising its sun exposure throughout the growing season. The vineyard consists of 2 clones, 115 and MV6. The blend benefits from the structure and density from the MV6 and the floral and fruit intensity from the 115.

Handpicked fruit is brought into the winery and sorted by hand, mostly destemmed fruit is loaded into concrete and Stainless steel fermenters. A small amount of whole bunch is used to add savoury complexity. Small period of cold maceration before a 2 week ferment. Wine is matured in Barrique with a proportion of new oak (17%).

 

COOLART ROAD VINEYARDS

The Coolart Road vineyard is the warmest site of the Ten Minutes by Tractor single vineyard wines, regularly ripening up to 4 weeks earlier than Judd and McCutcheon up in Main Ridge. Planted in 2000. 100% Pinot Noir. The combination of the warmer microclimate and deeper soils further down the hill gives this wine it’s signature dark cherry fruit and exotic spice tones.

This Pinot Noir is always a careful selection from what they consider are the best blocks in the Coolart Road vineyard. The 2023 vintage saw the team bottle 3 single block expressions bottled instead of the Coolart road blend, D block, E Block and F Block, all exhibiting a unique expression of this special site.

 

COOLART RD ‘D BLOCK’ PINOT NOIR 2023
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Sitting at the lower portion of Coolart Road’s eastern slope, ‘D Block’ – the historic heart of their single vineyard wines from this vineyard – typically has darker fruit, an earthy edge
with bigger tannins. D block is 100% MV6, which has smaller, tightly packed bunches and shows the power and intensity of the clone.

Handpicked and hand sorted with the bulk of fruit being destemmed. There was a small proportion of whole bunches used in separate parcels for added spice and freshness. A cold soak for 5 days before fermentation in a mix of concrete and stainless-steel vessels. The wine is matured in French oak Barrique with 24% new oak.

 

COOLART RD ‘E BLOCK’ PINOT NOIR 2023
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Nestled mid-slope on the eastern face of the Coolart Road vineyard, ‘E block’ typically has soft silky tannins and a brooding savoury edge. E Block is also 100% MV6, although is situated at a slightly higher elevation than D block resulting in generous mid palate richness with finer earth-tinged tannins which frame the wine.

E block is all handpicked and hand sorted before being fully destemmed and loaded into their concrete Tulip fermenters. A 5-day cold soak before wild fermentation with 19 days on skins. The wine was racked to barrel with a mix of old and new (16%) barriques, where it is matured for 11 months.

 

COOLART RD ‘F BLOCK’ PINOT NOIR 2023
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Sitting at the top of the eastern facing slope on our Coolart Road vineyard, ‘F block’ is typically, finer and more floral than any other block on Coolart. A blend of MV6 (60%), 777 (20%) and 115 (20%). This clonal blend provides a wine with greater freshness and energy with fine grained tannins.

All parcels are handpicked, hand sorted and destemmed. This fruit is fermented in smaller 1- ton stainless steel fermenters to allow for each individual parcel to be fermented separately and to preserve the delicate fruit and floral characters of this elevated block. The wine is fermented with natural yeasts with an average of 14 days on skins across the varying parcels. The wine is pressed to tank, keeping the individual parcels separate. Allowing the wine to settle before being racked to barrels. The team use a combination of old and newer barriques for 11 months. The new oak component is 20%.

 

TRAHERE RANGE

The Trahere wines are a first look at a long-term project from the team. Martin and the team sought inspiration from the best vineyards of the Cote d’Or in Burgundy and planted 2 vineyards in Main ridge (Spedding and Gabrielle) with high density Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (12,120 vines/ha) and medium density chardonnay (6,060 vines/ha) . The intention is to increase interrow competition and to drive roots deep into the soils, which allows young vines to establish themselves in a shorter period.

It is clear these high density plantings are having a very positive impact on fruit quality, helping to elevate the wine quality and structure to a higher level. Our experience has seen smaller berries and bunch sizes, balanced crop loads, cane, bunch and berry stem lignification are more developed. These are all key attributes for high quality wine production and help counteract climatic challenges to viticulture in the Mornington Peninsula.

The name Trahere is latin in origin and is a verb meaning ‘to draw or pull’ this name holds further meaning for the estate as this limited release wine is the culmination of all their efforts, the land they work, drive for progress and to pull forward.

The Trahere chardonnay and Trahere pinot noir are the ultimate expression of their beautiful vineyards, the vintage and the estate.

 

The 2022 Trahere Chardonnay is the second release of this inimitable mornington peninsula chardonnay, with fruit sourced solely from the high density plantings of the Spedding vineyard. This release is an exciting first look at the power and purity of this new vineyard project.

Fruit was harvested early morning on the 20th of March before being transported to the winery at Coolart Road, the fruit was chilled overnight before a gentle whole bunch pressed into stainless steel tanks to settle overnight. Fermentation occurred in seasoned oak barrels and underwent natural malolactic with total maturation of 11 months in barrel before being bottled.

“The bouquet is a mix of smoky toasty barrel and white peach, lightly toasted nuts and a faint hint of spice, while the palate is tremendously refined and intense, long and driving, precise and compact with wonderful line and length. A chardonnay of great finesse and poise. 2024–2036.” – 97 pts – Huon Hooke – The Real Review

“A poised, assured wine of subtle power. Beeswax, creamed honey, dry white flowers, nutty nougat, a soft, saline minerality. Curvaceous but contained, its upfront fleshiness tightened and coiled through the palate. This is chardonnay at its seductive best.” – 97 pts – Nick Ryan – The Australian

Ranked #2 Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay from 2022 vintage.

 

TRAHERE PINOT NOIR 2022
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The 2022 Trahere Pinot Noir is the first wine crafted solely from the high density Spedding vineyard featuring 3 unique clones purposefully selected for this project; Calera, Abel and Pommard. The plantings are situated 180 metres above sea level and face due east. This combination of aspect and elevation allows the fruit to retain incredible freshness and elevated aromatics.

The fruit is handpicked and meticulously sorted before it is destemmed. Fermentation is in small steel vessels for 18 days on skins. The wine is then pressed and transferred into barrels for maturation for 10 months in seasoned and 10% new French Tronçais oak barrels. The wine was then bottled unfined and unfiltered.

“Very detailed sousbois/undergrowth, five spice and pot-pourri, aromas, a combination of the more ethereal nuances with deeper richer fruit touches. Tremendous intensity, concentration with elegance, and formidable palate length. Impressive structure with a peacock’s tail finish. A wine of exemplary finesse, line and length. 2024–2037.” – 98 pts – Huon Hooke – The Real Review

“A wine remarkable for its decadence and its detail. Lashings of red cherry, raspberry and blackberry ride on rolling waves of exotic spice. The palate is built on rippling muscle but never looks cumbersome; there’s a complex layering of flavour, revealing more with every return to the glass.” – 96 pts – Nick Ryan – The Australian

“Florals potpourri strawberry compote complex fresh excellent colour. Silky vibrant good defined tannins and weight good volume of fruit. Wb. Cherry stem, blackberries two tone mulberry. Bleeding Pomegranate, iron, bresaola. Dense, chewy tannins and supple flowing acidity. Long, lengthy.” – 95 pts – Gold Medal, Melbourne Royal Wine Show

Ranked #1 Australian Pinot Noir from 2022 vintage.