2025 Garagiste Merricks Pinot Gris

A proper, texturally driven Mornington Gris from Barney Flanders’ wind-swept Merricks site, skipping the boring, safe white wine playbook for a savoury, lees-aged crunch.

Price:
Sale price$35.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Barney Flanders does not do boring, safe Mornington Pinot Gris, and that is exactly why this Merricks release is worth your time. The Merricks site is famously cool and battered by coastal winds, forcing the vines to work damn hard and naturally keeping the yields low. It is a completely different beast to the flooded market of generic, watery Italian styles.

The 2025 season required some sharp decision-making at harvest to lock in the freshness, but Barney kept his nerve. In the winery, he utilises wild ferments and old wood before letting it rest on its lees. He doesn't bother with fining or filtration, keeping all the natural texture and grit intact.

It pours a pale straw colour with a bit of a cloudy sheen. Instead of simple fruit sweetness, it delivers an authentic, texturally driven mouthful of pulpy nashi pear, wild orchard herbs, and a bitter almond skin complexity. A crunchy line of native acidity provides great drive right through the finish.

A smart, savoury white with a load of personality.

In Barney Flanders's hands, Pinot Gris can be a wonderful thing. Time after time, you can expect a mouthwatering pure Gris with texture, structure and balance, and the 2025 is right in the zone. The fruit is sourced from 28-year-old, northeast-facing vines rooted in the signature grey loam and red ferrosols soils of Merricks. The majority of the fruit is pressed as bunches to old puncheons with full solids and kept on lees, while a small portion of the blend (10%) ferments carbonically for three weeks.

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Pinot Gris/Grigio
Country Australia
Region Mornington Peninsula
Australian State VIC
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure Screw Cap

Garagiste Wines

Garagiste is the project of Barnaby Flanders, one of the most respected names in Mornington Peninsula wine. Since launching in 2006, Flanders has focused on making serious, small-batch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that reflect the distinct sub-regions of the Peninsula.

He started out at Merricks Grove in 2000 and still sources from that vineyard today, alongside parcels from places like Tuerong, Balnarring and Main Ridge. Each site brings something different - whether it’s the sandy soils of the north or the higher, cooler slopes in the south - and Flanders leans into those differences rather than smoothing them out.

His approach is minimal but exacting. Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed, fermented with wild yeasts, and sees restrained oak. Pinot Noir is all about balance - picked for freshness, made with a light touch, and bottled without excess. The wines are clean, detailed, and built to age, but they’re also approachable from the outset.

Together with winemaker and business partner Cam Marshall, Flanders also makes the Le Stagiaire range - a more accessible price point that offers legitimately some of the best value Pinot Noir & Chardonnay in Australia that still carries the same regional clarity and intent. Across both labels, the focus is sharp: site expression, thoughtful farming, and no shortcuts. Garagiste remains one of the benchmark producers in Mornington. If you want to understand what makes this region special, this is a very good place to start.

Winemaker Barney Flanders Discover Garagiste Wines

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