Ten Minutes by Tractor given 5 stars again by Halliday

Ten Minutes by Tractor, Mornington Peninsula, has been awarded 5 red stars for another year by James Halliday in his recently published Wine Companion. All of Martin Spedding's wines were given 92 points or more, an impressive achievement.

Here is a list of Halliday's tasting notes for the 2013 Companion:

RATING 96 Ten Minutes by Tractor Judd Vineyard Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2010: Good colour; the wine spent an unusually long 20 days on skins before spending 14 months in new and used French oak; a complex wine with fruit and oak in an inseparable embrace, and has impeccable mouthfeel, the flavours ranging across the full pinot spectrum, Lovely now, but undoubted development potential.

RATING 95 Ten Minutes by Tractor McCutcheon Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2010: Like its siblings, hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed and wild-fermented in a mix of new and used French barriques, and matured therein for 10 months. Bright green-gold; an immaculately balanced and textured palate, with white peach, nectarine and creamy cashew notes running through to a long and distinguished finish and aftertaste.

RATING 96 Ten Minutes by Tractor McCutcheon Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2010 :Obviously enough, single vineyard, fermented for 20 days with indigenous yeasts, then aged for 14 months in new and used French oak barriques. The bouquet is highly fragrant, with a mix of red and black fruits running through a beautifully silky palate, operating at a very different level to the Estate.

RATING 94 Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2010: The bouquet and palate sing precisely the same song, with nectarine, white peach, cashew and some citrus pith weaving a complex web; the finish is clean and fresh.

RATING 94 Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2010: Made from the three original 'home' Judd, McCutcheon and Wallis Vineyards. The colour is relatively light, but don't be deceived. The wine has an impressive combination of intensity, complexity and drive to its essentially savoury/forest floor characters. Counter-intuitively, berry fruits manifest themselves on the finish and aftertaste.

RATING 95 Ten Minutes by Tractor Wallis Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2010: Slightly deeper colour than the Estate Chardonnay; an unashamedly complex chardonnay, with citrus, stone fruit, fig and cashew notes all tightly woven together; it is almost on the aftertaste that the benison of natural acidity makes its presence felt.

RATING 95 Ten Minutes by Tractor Wallis Vineyard Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2010: Bright colour, made in the same way as McCutcheon, both reflecting the outstanding vintage. The flavours here are deeper, with more dark berry fruits, heading back to the Estate rather than McCutcheon. That said, the wine has very good length, and carries its foresty bramble overtones.

RATING 92 Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2010: Bright straw-gold; has developed considerable richness in a relatively short time, stone fruit to the fore with some nutty notes (not necessarily oak) and good balancing acidity.

RATING 94 Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2010: Light, clear crimson; another Mornington Peninsula pinot that is relatively shy on the bouquet, but effusive and intense on the palate, with pronounced fraises du bois flavours that drive through to the finish and aftertaste.

To find Ten Minutes by Tractor wines online, visit our website