Welcome to Mortimer’s family vineyard

After retiring from his Rugby League career at the Canterbury Bulldogs, Peter and Julie Mortimer moved to Orange with the desire to raise their 5 young sons in the country. After purchasing 45 acres just north of Orange, Peter and the family planted Chestnut Garth vineyard in 1995. Following years of hard work and a growing passion for the wine industry, the first Mortimer’s wines were bottled in 2001. The Mortimer family property sits behind the old March Schoolhouse which had closed its gates in 1976. After purchasing the school off the local council in 2004, it was converted into their Cellar Door.

The rich 150 year history of the March Schoolhouse has been preserved and creates the perfect setting to taste and enjoy a wide range of award winning wines.

We welcome you to our little piece of paradise…

Our Story
Mortimers Wines

Join the family

Your palate is unique...Mortimers Of Orange Wine Club

Join our Mortimer's of Orange "MOO" Wine club to receive a range from benefits including 20% off MOO membership cases.

Visit our Wine Club page for more information.

Wine Club

Our Wines

Cool Climate Wines of Orange

They say you can't make good wine from bad grapes and at Mortimer's, it all starts in the vineyard. Planted in 1995, our Chestnut Garth vineyard has been a labour of love for the Mortimer family. Our vines consist of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, with our Sauvignon Blanc grown at a neighbouring vineyard. For 30 years we have been creating and maintaining a sustainable vineyard. Our belief is that if you create the right ecosystem for the vines to thrive in, the grape growing process can be a lot more "hands off" resulting in elegant and complex fruit, ripe to make outstanding wines.

Our grapes are then transformed into our signature cool climate wines by master winemakers Simon Gilbert and Chris Derrez. Both multi-generational winemakers with endless awards and accolades. No expense is spared to ensure we make the finest quality wine because...

life's too short to drink bad wine

 

Wine Store
Mortimers Wines
Mortimers #85

Our Location

Central West NSW

Crossing over the blue mountains, Orange is located 3.5 hours drive west of Sydney.

The wine region of Orange, NSW is one of the only wine regions in the world defined by altitude (over 600m). The city of Orange and it's surrounding vineyards lies on the slopes of Mount Canobolas - an extinct Volcano last erupting 11 million years ago. This iconic landmark has blessed with region with rich basalt soils and exceptional terroir. The region's altitude and large temperature range provides the opportunity for vignerons to grow wines of serious complexity and diversity, making it one of Australia's premier cool-climate wine regions.

Mortimer's Wines is located just 5 minutes north of Orange in the beautiful heritage listed March Schoolhouse est. 1866.

@mortimerswines

Testimonials

Michael Pinkus

Mortimers 2106 Jules

If I learned anything during my trips to the Southern Hemisphere it’s this: if you buy yourself a winery name a wine after your wife, because she put up with your folly of starting a winery. And by the way, better make it good. Peter Mortimer did just that. A blend of 66% Shiraz and 34% Cabernet Sauvignon made in very limited quantity: silky and spicy with a generosity of dark fruit, mocha, black cherry, coffee, and smoked-meat along with well-integrated oak so that everything is balanced. It’s a best year wine that has been made only four times in 23 years: 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2016. And because it’s named after his wife Peter warned me against calling it “full-bodied” – advice taken.

 

Michael Pinkus

Michael is the wine columnist for Quench (formerly Tidings), GoodLife, Ottawa Life and Grand magazines as well as a regular contributor to Grapevine magazine ... his reviews are also regularly picked up by the LCBO’s Vintages magazine.
huon hooke

CHRIS DERREZ SHIRAZ 2015 FROM MORTIMER’S OF ORANGE

Deep, intense red colour with a strong purple rim. The bouquet is lifted with a peppermint, blackberry, dark plum perfume, and the palate is intense, fine-boned and beautifully poised, with good length and harmony. The tannins are fine, pleasantly firm and well-modulated. A lovely wine in a fairly conventional style. Fruit rules: oak is barely perceptible. This spent 7 months less in wood than the Simon Gilbert wine: all French, puncheons and barriques. ($120 at cellar door in a twin pack with the Simon Gilbert wine) 10/12/2016

SCORE 95/100

Drink 2017 to 2033

Huon Hooke

Chair of the Vin de Champagne Awards and judge of the Australian Winemaker of the Year.
huon hooke

SIMON GILBERT SHIRAZ 2015 FROM MORTIMERS OF ORANGE

Deepish red colour with a purple tint, similar but slightly less intense
than the Chris Derrez version. The bouquet is attractive, slightly meaty and foresty with some whole-bunch components suspected. A hint of sandalwood. The bouquet is very fine and subtle, with no one thing dominating. Fine oak adds to the perfume. The palate is soft and fine-grained with again no sharp edges or dominant notes, the tannins fine and silky-soft with harmony and length. And great immediate drinkability. An effortless wine in a more rounded style. This is marginally softer and more approachable early than the Derrez version. It spent 7 months longer in barriques, 70% French 30% American oak. ($120 at cellar door in a twin pack with the Chris Derrez wine) 10/12/2016

SCORE 95/100

Drink 2017 to 2031

Huon Hooke

Chair of the Vin de Champagne Awards and judge of the Australian Winemaker of the Year.

Testimonials

Michael Pinkus

Mortimers 2106 Jules

If I learned anything during my trips to the Southern Hemisphere it’s this: if you buy yourself a winery name a wine after your wife, because she put up with your folly of starting a winery. And by the way, better make it good. Peter Mortimer did just that. A blend of 66% Shiraz and 34% Cabernet Sauvignon made in very limited quantity: silky and spicy with a generosity of dark fruit, mocha, black cherry, coffee, and smoked-meat along with well-integrated oak so that everything is balanced. It’s a best year wine that has been made only four times in 23 years: 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2016. And because it’s named after his wife Peter warned me against calling it “full-bodied” – advice taken.

 

Michael Pinkus

Michael is the wine columnist for Quench (formerly Tidings), GoodLife, Ottawa Life and Grand magazines as well as a regular contributor to Grapevine magazine ... his reviews are also regularly picked up by the LCBO’s Vintages magazine.
huon hooke

CHRIS DERREZ SHIRAZ 2015 FROM MORTIMER’S OF ORANGE

Deep, intense red colour with a strong purple rim. The bouquet is lifted with a peppermint, blackberry, dark plum perfume, and the palate is intense, fine-boned and beautifully poised, with good length and harmony. The tannins are fine, pleasantly firm and well-modulated. A lovely wine in a fairly conventional style. Fruit rules: oak is barely perceptible. This spent 7 months less in wood than the Simon Gilbert wine: all French, puncheons and barriques. ($120 at cellar door in a twin pack with the Simon Gilbert wine) 10/12/2016

SCORE 95/100

Drink 2017 to 2033

Huon Hooke

Chair of the Vin de Champagne Awards and judge of the Australian Winemaker of the Year.
huon hooke

SIMON GILBERT SHIRAZ 2015 FROM MORTIMERS OF ORANGE

Deepish red colour with a purple tint, similar but slightly less intense
than the Chris Derrez version. The bouquet is attractive, slightly meaty and foresty with some whole-bunch components suspected. A hint of sandalwood. The bouquet is very fine and subtle, with no one thing dominating. Fine oak adds to the perfume. The palate is soft and fine-grained with again no sharp edges or dominant notes, the tannins fine and silky-soft with harmony and length. And great immediate drinkability. An effortless wine in a more rounded style. This is marginally softer and more approachable early than the Derrez version. It spent 7 months longer in barriques, 70% French 30% American oak. ($120 at cellar door in a twin pack with the Chris Derrez wine) 10/12/2016

SCORE 95/100

Drink 2017 to 2031

Huon Hooke

Chair of the Vin de Champagne Awards and judge of the Australian Winemaker of the Year.