Our beautiful Mornington Peninsula is renowned for its fine Pinots, a wine Napoleon Bonaparte described as his favourite. Another favourite of Napoleon’s was his white Arab stallion, Marengo, which carried the Emperor for 15 years to famous victories at Ulm, Austerlitz and Jena before the Russian retreat and finally his fall at Waterloo.

Marengo’s name came from the June 14, 1800 battle in northern Italy, in which Austrian forces pushed the retreating French battalions back into the sanctuary of vineyards surrounding the township of Marengo. After 8 hours of reversals and the loss of his Grenadier regiment, Napoleon’s reinforcements mounted a cavalry charge and won the 30 year old General the road to Emperor of the First Republic.

Shielded from Austrian cannon the Marengo vineyards provided Bonaparte with a redoubt to give refuge to his retreating army.   Likewise our Peninsula vineyard offers guests and owners alike a place of quiet retreat with the bonus of enjoying a fine pinot.