Some wines gradually become central to a grower’s story. For Lucas Blanck, Citrea Riesling is emerging as one of them. A paean to the Rieslings of his family’s Alsatian domaine, it is Australian Riesling with the handbrake off: whole-bunch pressed, wild-fermented in old puncheons, aged on lees and bottled unfiltered. It’s Alsatian philosophy refracted through the cool reaches of the Mornington Peninsula.

The 2025 vintage also marks a transition from Red Hill’s Duke Vineyard to the nearby Kayes Vineyard. From the former, the deep, poised and classy Messire Chardonnay bows out on a high, while the new Messire Pinot Noir offers a delicious first glimpse of what the Kayes Vineyard is capable of in the right hands.

It all adds up to another engaging release from a Mornington rising star.

2025 Kerri Greens “Citrea” Riesling

Some wines gradually become central to a grower’s story. For Kerri Green, Citrea Riesling is emerging as one of them. From the 2025 vintage, the wine is sourced predominantly from mature vines at Kayes Vineyard in Red Hill South, with the balance coming from the original Balnarring site.

The winemaking also follows its own path, one shaped as much by Lucas’s Alsatian winemaking heritage as anything else. Rather than the reductive, stainless-steel approach more commonly associated with Australian Riesling, the fruit is whole-bunch pressed over a slow four-hour cycle before fermenting naturally in seasoned French oak puncheons. The wine spends ten months on lees, followed by a further two months in tank, and is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The cooler Red Hill South vineyard provides a long, measured ripening season, allowing flavour and fine phenolics to develop while retaining freshness. The wine is taut and saline, with citrus and orchard fruit carried by bright natural acidity. Extended lees ageing lends quiet complexity and a subtle savoury edge, while the finish lingers with preserved lemon, quince and delicate white florals over a fine mineral line. It’s a delicious and distinctive expression that, to borrow a phrase from Young Gun of Wine, “has no real precedent in the region.”

2025 Kerri Greens “Messire” Chardonnay

Single Vineyard. The 2025 release marks Kerri Green’s final Chardonnay from the old Duke Vineyard on Paringa Road, bringing to a close a small but memorable chapter. Fittingly, it comes from a vintage that seemed determined to make things easy, producing fruit with both generosity and clarity.

This is a Chardonnay with engaging richness and texture, yet one that never loses its sense of balance. Meyer lemon, white peach and citrus pith sit alongside the creamy, savoury complexity that comes from extended time on lees. There’s texture and breadth, but nothing feels excessive. The wine carries its weight comfortably, with bright, natural acidity providing shape and energy through a long, persistent finish.

The fruit was hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed before a wild fermentation on full solids. It then spent 12 months in barrique, just 15% of them new, with nothing added during élevage apart from a small sulphur addition at bottling. Only 500 litres were produced.

2025 Kerri Greens “Messire” Pinot Noir

Single Vineyard. The 2025 Messire Pinot Noir is the first red release from Kerri Green’s new vineyard source at Kayes Vineyard in Red Hill. Overlooking Western Port Bay, the elevated, windswept site enjoys a long, measured growing season that encourages flavour development while preserving freshness and natural acidity. It’s an encouraging first glimpse of what the vineyard is capable of.

The wine is a blend of Pinot Noir clones 115 and MV6. The fruit was hand-picked, fully destemmed and allowed to ferment naturally on skins for 18 days before maturing for 12 months in French oak, with only a modest proportion of new barrels.

Bright red fruits—raspberry, cranberry and pomegranate—lead the aromatics, followed by a palate of red cherry and plum with a gentle thread of spice. Fine-grained tannins and lively acidity provide gentle structure, carrying the wine to a long, balanced finish. Elegant rather than showy, it speaks clearly of a cool Mornington Peninsula site and a careful hand in the cellar. Production was limited to just 500 litres.

2025 Kerri Greens “Effet-Mer” Syrah

Single Vineyard. Kerri Green’s first Syrah since 2022, the 2025 vintage comes from the Rivendell vineyard in Tuerong. Crafted in a modern, restrained style, it reflects a lighter touch—what Lucas describes as a more “millennial Shiraz”: juicier, more delicate and vibrant than the fuller, more robust styles of previous generations.

The wine began with a week of wild whole-bunch carbonic maceration before being destemmed to complete fermentation on skins for a further 10 days. It was then pressed to seasoned barriques, where it matured for 12 months.

The partial carbonic maceration is a deliberate choice, softening tannins while preserving freshness and purity of fruit. Rather than extracting excessive spice or bitterness, the technique enhances the wine’s silky texture and bright, lifted character without veering into overripe or overtly carbonic flavours.

A cool-climate Syrah with vibrant blue fruit, fine pepper spice and silky tannins, delivering elegance, freshness and finesse. Bravo!