2025 Garagiste Tuerong Aligote
2025 Garagiste Tuerong Aligote

2025 Garagiste Tuerong Aligote

93 pts
Garagiste |Mornington Peninsula |Aligote
Brilliant Burgundian-styled Aligote out of Victoria. Remarkable value for money here from Barney Flanders - but very rare.
Price:
$39.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

There is very little Aligote growing in Australia at present. Trust Barney Flanders to sniff some out.

Given Barney's love of Burgundian varieties, this grape slips nicely into the Garagiste lineup.

It's a very impressive rendition of the variety, where Aligote is often maligned in Burgundy and considered a bridesmaid to Chardonnay, Barney treats it with the utmost respect.

There's a distinct 'old world' vibe with this wine. Yes, it's fresh and focused and drives brilliantly through the mouth (as all Garagiste wines do), but there's something else here that takes you to another place from your first sniff.

93 points - "This feels taut and fine and inherently powerful, though it also feels as though it needs some time in bottle. It smells and tastes of slate, macadamia nuts, nectarine, nashi pear, brine and tonic water, all set within a tight, textural frame. I wondered, as I tasted this, whether there was some reduction in play, not in flavours terms but in tension. In any case it works and it works well." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

Australia’s roll call for Aligoté makes for pretty short reading. There are small parcels in the Whitfield area and Margaret River (at Blind Corner), and then there’s the mother vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula, which supplied the cuttings for those two.

The wine is cropped from three north-facing rows of 35+-year-old vines rooted in the sandy grey loams of Tuerong and a handful of more recently planted rows from a site across the road. Barney’s Aligoté vines have large, soft leaves and a matte appearance, contrasting with the glossy shine often found on his Chardonnay leaves. The bunches are tight, the berries are round and plump, and there’s always a distinctive aniseed character to complement the saline and mineral highlights.

The grapes are harvested by hand and pressed as whole bunches to a single old 500-litre puncheon for fermentation, followed by nine months on the large, soft lees. What a wine! It’s beautifully balanced, buzzing with energy and tension, with a lovely nippy grip on the finish As always, it is here for a good time, not a long time.

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Aligote
Country Australia
Region Mornington Peninsula
Australian State VIC
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Critic Score 93
Alcohol 13%
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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