Welcome to Mondillo's e-Cellar Door
From our home to yours…
Passion for their vineyards, an inherent love of the environment and a desire to consistently produce exquisite wines are the drivers for Domenic and Ally Mondillo whose cellar door, set in the majestic and rugged Bendigo Station, is one of the region’s best kept secrets.
Domenic’s Italian heritage is steeped in many generations of cooking great food and making superb wine. Enjoying strong family traditions and values, his Italian Grandfather taught him the secrets of making fine wine in the cellar amongst the home-made preserves, prosciutto and Italian cheeses. Domenic learned the art of drinking wine at his grandfather’s table fuelling his taste at an early age for combining, and pairing wine and food. With a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island USA, Domenic moved to New Zealand in 1981 and made his culinary mark in Queenstown as the owner and executive chef of two multi award-winning restaurants, before being enticed full time into the world of wine in 1992. Achieving Viticulture and Oenology qualifications Domenic has been instrumental in designing and developing vineyards throughout Central Otago for the past 34 years.
Domenic, and his New Zealand wife Ally, established their own vineyard at Bendigo in 2001. Jane Skilton MW wrote back in 2006 that “fruit grown in Bendigo, a hot sub region overlooking Lake Dunstan, seems to give wines extraordinary richness and power, this 2005 first release Mondillo Pinot Noir has an opulent, almost decadent quality. A very exciting Pinot Noir from a winery I shall be looking out for in the future.” Since that review, Mondillo wines have gone on to be showcased by the US Sommelier Journal, Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, US Burghound.com, Len Evans Foundation Australia, Global Fairness Initiative US and Air New Zealand along with Champion Wine of the Show Trophy, Champion Pinot Noir Trophy plus fabulous wine reviews and accolades each vintage; something Mondillo is very proud of.
Mondillo portfolio includes Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, Rosé, the Limited Edition Bella Reserve Pinot Noir and Late Harvest Nina wines. Enjoy – Saluté
Reviews
Reviews below from New Zealand's first and only Master Sommelier for your reading. Globally, there are only around 300 individuals who hold the Master Sommelier title. Cameron Douglas, MS, achieved the highly coveted credential in 2010 and is proud to be responsible for a number of wine lists around the world.
Cameron Douglas MS - Mondillo Pinot Noir 2024
95/100 Outstanding! Fabulous bouquet and palate - a wine of distinction and purity. Aromas and flavours of dark cherry and roasted blackcurrant, with a savoury quality from wild thyme and sage, followed by toasty barrel spices. Firm, taut and dry, this is a wine that will age well. It can also be enjoyed immediately; the core fruit flavours and gentle sweetness from oak and alcohol support this. Complex, layered and long. Enjoy with food today or cellar with best drinking from 2028 through 2035+.
Cameron Douglas MS - Mondillo Belle Reserve Pinot Noir 2023
96/100 Well made, complex and still youthful. A focused and complex bouquet with a clear sense of vintage and site. Aromas of strawberry and cherry, dark red berries and plum, followed by wood smoke and barrel spice complexities. Elegant, complex, and dry on the palate, while tannins from both fruit and wood, along with a ripe and pristine acid line, frame the mouthfeel seamlessly. Best drinking from 2029 through 2038.
Cameron Douglas MS - Mondillo Rosé 2025
93/100 Points – Hues of red and pink lead to a bouquet of mineral notes, followed by raspberry and cherry, some red berry compote, rose, and lees. Perhaps a touch of older barrel as well, adding fine complexity. Crisp and dry, with tautness and power, framed by acidity and very fine fruit tannins, then layered with textures from lees and phenolics. Delicious and mouthwatering, pure, ripe, and ready to drink. Balanced and well made.
Cameron Douglas MS - Mondillo Riesling 2024
94/100 Points - Fragrant, aromatic and enticing bouquet of white flowers and red apple, lemon and white spice, sand and white clay mineral ideas. Taut, dry, intense and engaging all at once as the wine touches the palate, flavours of citrus then apple reflect the bouquet then mandarin and lime-flower. A backbone of acidity and lengthy fine finish this wine needs time to develop, settle and show its best version, so best drinking from 2028 through 2038+.
Australia
Belgium
China
Germany
Hong Kong
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Singapore
South Korea
Switzerland
UK Mainland
UK Non Mainland
Northern Ireland
Alaska
Hawaii
EU€
UK£
NZ$
CA$