Richard and Jill McIntyre bought the 20-acre property at Moorooduc, at the northern end of the Mornington Peninsula, in 1982. The Mornington Peninsula, with its cool maritime climate was, at that time, a new wine region, and there was little known about which varieties would do well.
The McIntyres produced the first commercial release of Moorooduc Estate Cabernet and Chardonnay in 1986. The first vineyard plantings in 1983 included only two rows of pinot noir, a variety that was not widely planted or even popular in Australia at the time. It was discovered early on that this site’s true talent is for chardonnay and pinot noir and the property is now planted to capacity – 12 acres of vineyard in all.
In 2022, in his mid-70s, Richard is still hands-on with the viticulture, winemaking and day-to-day running of Moorooduc Estate, supported by Jill who can usually be found in the kitchen or the garden. Their daughter, Kate McIntyre MW, after various roles in the wine industry since 1996, attained her Master of Wine in 2010, and returned to work in the family business. Today, Kate’s role is Director of Wine Business and she is involved in all aspects of Moorooduc Estate, including helping with the winemaking. Since 2016, winemaker Jeremy Magyar has joined Richard, Jill and Kate – a formidable team.
In 2022 we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the purchase of the paddock that became Moorooduc Estate – Jill and Richard’s home, vineyard and winery.
The iconic Moorooduc Estate label, and all the subsequent labels, were designed by Brian Sadgrove. Elegant and deceptively simple, many have pondered on the imagery, likening it to a Fred Williams painting – certainly of a vineyard. The image is a photograph of the rammed earth wall of the winery, built just in time for the ‘86 vintage and celebrated ever since in the label.
