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Winter Insider · August 2026 Winter 2026
One of the Peninsula's founding estates, planted in 1978, grown-up, unflashy, with some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in the region.
Known for Planted 1978 by Brian and Noel Stonier, one of the Peninsula's founding estatesReserve Chardonnay and KBS Vineyard Pinot Noir as benchmark winesAmong the oldest Chardonnay vines in the regionNo wedding marquee, no sculpture trail, purely a wine operationWinemaker's-list tasting flight on request
Photo · BrooksieG
Why we’d goWhen you want a cellar door built around the wine rather than the experience around the wine, Stonier is the answer on the Peninsula.
Stonier was planted in 1978 by Brian and Noel Stonier, making it one of the earliest established estates on the Peninsula. The site has been through ownership changes since, it now sits within a larger wine group, but the winemaking credentials have held. The Reserve Chardonnay and KBS Vineyard Pinot Noir remain reference-point wines for what the region can do with its two flagship varieties.
The cellar door reflects the winery's philosophy: no wedding marquee, no sculpture trail, no cheese board dressed for Instagram. What you get is serious wine in a grown-up room, presented by staff who know the portfolio. Ask for the winemaker's-list flight if you want to work through the range properly, it covers a broader selection than the standard pour and gives you a better read on the estate's full scope.
This is the cellar door for wine people who want conversation about what's in the glass rather than a polished sensory experience. Wear what you'd wear to a good restaurant, not what you'd wear to a Sunday market.
Worth knowing
If you only do one thing
Ask specifically for the Reserve flight, the Reserve Chardonnay and KBS Pinot Noir are the wines that make the visit worthwhile.
Works well with
Merricks General Wine Store · Kerri Greens
Filed under Cellar DoorSlowAll YearCouplesSolo
Editor's verdict
Stonier is the Peninsula's original benchmark. Brian Stonier planted his vines in 1978 when 'Mornington Peninsula wine' was not yet a phrase anyone used outside this paddock. The estate returned to local family ownership in December 2022. The KBS Vineyard Chardonnay is still the Peninsula reference bottle for that variety - three decades of track record don't lie.
Walk-ins welcome daily for groups under 6 (final tastings 4pm); tasting fee redeemable on wine purchase; complimentary for Wine Club members. Reservations required for groups of 6+. Dogs welcome on the lawn.
Not sure how to build a day around Stonier Wines?
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