In 1978, Brian Stonier and his wife Noel established the Stonier vineyard in the coastal town of Merricks, one hour South-East of Melbourne and ten minutes from the challenging surf beaches of Bass Straight. Over 28 years later, the name Stonier is widely recognised as a producer of exceptional Chardonnay andPinot Noir.At the heart of Stonier lies a meticulous approach to viticulture and winemaking. A desire to reflect the imprint of each site, through subtle variations in flavour and texture, interweaving these differences to form elegant wines of seamless complexity has earned Stonier a place amongst the best Pinot Noir andChardonnay producers in Australia.Early vintages were made off-site until the winery in Merricks, designed by Daryl Jackson, was completed in 1991. Today, Stonier sources Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from over 150 acres across 5 selected sub-regions; Merricks North, Balnarring, Tuerong, Red Hill and at the estate vineyards in Merricks which span over 50 acres. Due to the cool climate of the Mornington Peninsula, at each of these sub-regions North and North-East facing sites are favoured as they are protected from the prevailing sea winds whilst retaining maximum exposure to the sun. Stonier's focus on quality in the vineyards is most evident in Merricks where vineyard design and low vine density are prime factors in limiting Chardonnay crop levels to under 3 tonnes to the acre and Pinot Noir under 2 tonnes to the acre.Grapes from each of the vineyards are vinified separately to allow ultimate flexibility when finally blending the wine to form the two distinct styles of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Stonier Label and Stonier Reserve wines. An unswerving focus on style and structure ensures that the wines reflect the diverse flavours and texture of fruit sourced from across these five sub-regions without any one aroma or flavour dominating the final wine.It is the exceptional quality and defined character of grapes from some of the oldest vineyards, and winemaker, Geraldine McFaul's respect for vineyard typicity and site expression which have now evolved Stonier's interest in single vineyard designate wines.Stonier wines are acclaimed internationally amongst the finest styles of cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Australia. In 2001 Stonier’s success spiralled when it won the ‘Best Chardonnay’ and ‘Best White Wine’ trophies for the 1999 Reserve Chardonnay at the world's largest and most prestigious wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London.www.stoniers.com.au
