Our vintage wrap up

The 2019 vintage on the Mornington Peninsula was warm and dry.  It was a year which reinforced the importance of walking the vine rows, drawing on experience and intuition to mitigate the extremes of mother nature.  Our mature vines drew on their deep root systems to stay productive and we left the canopy un-trellised in parts, offering shade to our precious fruit.  We are happy (and a little relived) to say that the vintage is looking very promising at this early stage!

Bucking the trend of a hot year, our fruit came in with lovely natural acidity and a good balance of sugar and flavour ripeness.  This was particularly true of the whites, which possess great ripeness paired with persistent acid through the palate.  The reds are juicy, spicy and lively with some blocks showing wonderfully fine, lingering tannins. 

As the rain falls and the cold sets in, the memory of vintage seems more distant than usual.  It’s reassuring to know the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir batches are now tucked away for the winter.  The next phase will be preparing the Rosato and Saludos for bottling in late July.  Until then there is still plenty to do in the winery, even if the urgency has eased a little.

31/05/2019 at 10:39 AM Permalink

Our vegan friendly wines

More and more, we are getting asked from our customers, is your wine vegan friendly?  To make it a little easier to determine, here is a list below of all our current Vegan friendly wines.

29/05/2019 at 2:19 PM Permalink

Chardonnay – the winemakers blank canvas

Chardonnay continues to hold a special place among Australian wine lovers, and remains the nation’s top white variety, second overall behind Shiraz.  

The Crittenden family have been making Chardonnay on the Mornington Peninsula for 35 years.  As you enter the estate, you drive past the vines that were planted by the family back in 1982. These vines are some of the oldest you’ll find in the region.

Chardonnay is one of those wonderful grape varieties that allows for interpretive winemaking techniques.  Its versatility means it’s almost like giving a winemaker a blank canvas to create a Chardonnay to their taste and style. A Chardonnay made in the Napa Valley would most likely taste completely different to one made on the Mornington Peninsula. Perhaps surprisingly though, two wineries in the same region could also produce Chardonnays that taste completely different depending on each winemaker’s preferred style, taste and techniques.  

Crittenden Estate creates several different Chardonnays from the original family plantings and also with grapes sourced from other local growers.  All of these are hand harvested and whole bunch pressed, however the nose and palate characteristics vary from wine to wine.

One of our premium Chardonnays, ‘The Zumma’ is traditional blend from the oldest plantings on our vineyard.  It’s a rich and complex wine that retains a level of finesse due to the Mornington Peninsula’s cool climate. On the nose you’ll find lemon zest and fig with almond notes providing savouriness to the palate.

The ‘Kangerong’ Chardonnay, also from the home vineyard, is a blend of 3 individual blocks ranging in vine age and aspect. Its aroma shows more robust characters of white stone fruit and citrus whilst still retaining a beautiful core of vibrant acid which is again attributable to the cooling effect of the region’s maritime influences.

Chardonnay is one of the many examples of how a wine can take you on a journey you didn’t expect.  We have a lot of people who say to us, “Oh I’m not a Chardonnay drinker”. They then taste and compare a few of the different Chardonnays we have in our wine centre and discover it’s a variety they enjoy after all - they just preferred one over another. Perhaps it was a more rich or complex style versus those that have more acidity or fruit drive. That’s the advantage of the Crittenden Wine Centre tasting experience, you’re able to compare wines and styles and no doubt discover at least a few wines that suit your personal palate.

If it's been a while since you've tasted a Chardonnay, why not come and discover how the variety may have changed from what you last remember... 

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22/05/2019 at 2:43 PM Permalink

FRIENDS

Many of you may know, that as a part of the family’s succession planning [that’s quaint speak for me stepping aside] we collectively agreed that I would have access to a couple of tonnes of pinot noir each vintage with the unchallenged ability to “do it my way”.

The first such wine was my 2016 BIG CHAIR.  I am about to release my second wine, the 2017 Pinot Noir under the label of FRIENDS. This has been vintaged in a very similar manner to the 2016 and is in my view a worthy follow up. It will, I feel confident, be enjoyed by the impatient now and reward those of you who can resist pulling the cork.

The unadorned front label has raised eyebrows amongst the few who have viewed it to date and all ask the same question; “What’s it all about Alfie “ 

Put simply, at the preview of the BIG CHAIR release attended by a handful of friends and rellos a convivial time was had by all. Late in the proceedings I pulled out my phone and took the photo which now adorns the bottle. Maybe you were there? See if you can recognise yourself amongst the FRIENDS

There are only 500 bottles available so be quick to secure your allocation of 6 bottles max or fewer..

Garry Crittenden. April 2019

11/04/2019 at 2:12 PM Permalink

The Cook and the Winemaker

From a young age, growing up in the Crittenden household, my brother Rollo and I were subject to many a dinner party. It was the eighties and the raucous laughter would waft up the stairs. Sunday morning would see us fossicking through the debris, ever hopeful we’d uncover an unnoticed after dinner mint. Perhaps you can relate. Mum, Margaret Crittenden, was known for the amazing food she was able to whip up in the kitchen whilst the wine Dad was making from his newly planted vines would complement the dishes beautifully. The perfect team.

Perhaps that’s why, 35 years on, events and dinners at Crittenden Estate are such an important part of what we do. Rollo and I, having grown up with it, simply love to entertain. Many appreciate the emotive influence that food and wine has in our lives. Often shared with those we love it has the power to evoke an array of senses.

On March 16th, guests were treated to an event that surmises all that we do here at Crittenden – create an amazing experience for our guests. As part of The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival we teamed up with Guy Mirabella from ShopAte in Mount Eliza to create not just a dinner but an experience for those who attended. We called it The Cook and The Winemaker.

Guy and his food is an institution on the Peninsula. His cooking is superb. But more than that, Guy is creative and artistic; evident in the food he prepares. We knew he would be the perfect partner to take this dinner to the next level.

In the thick of harvest guests were able to witness vintage in real time. The evening commenced in the winery with a cocktail made from local Bass & Flinders gin along with Pinot Noir “grape must”, fresh from this year’s crush.

Developing relationships is fundamental between nature, the winemaker and the cook. These threads were entwined on the night and guests were treated to an artistic and sensory feast. Music, chosen by Guy, introduced each course and menus were quirkily crunched in a ball at place settings. The wine was carefully matched and flowed in abundance; nine premium wines, three of these sneak peaks into wines not yet released.

Events at Crittenden are an important part of what we do, although they are but one component of the experiences those who are a part of the broader Crittenden family can enjoy. Perhaps after reading this you’re lamenting that you missed out. Please don’t, there will be more. Stay tuned to our website to keep up to date with the events that we do here and in the meantime, come and enjoy some of the other experiences on offer at Crittenden. Our custom built Wine Centre offers seated tastings in comfort where you can discover the vast array of styles we offer. This, we believe, is an experience in and of itself. The Crittenden Wine Centre is open daily from 10:30 until 4:30 and we look forward to welcoming you.

20/03/2019 at 11:29 AM Permalink