Ocean Eight Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula

A modern style Pinot Noir full of summer pudding and cranberry flavours, vibrant and peppery on the finish.

Tasting Note

A modern style Pinot Noir full of elegant red fruits, red cherries and a hint of tea leaf, held together by fine tannins with a touch of bitter cherry on the vibrant finish.

Producer Note

Owned by the Aylward family - founders of the renowned Kooyong winery - Ocean Eight was established in 2004 in the southern and cooler side of Mornington Peninsula. In their state-of-the-art, temperature controlled, gravity fed winery, winemaker Mike Aylward produces stunning cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, taking influence from the great old world wine regions of Alsace, Burgundy and Champagne. All the grapes for the Ocean Eight wines are sourced from the family’s 17 hectares of vineyard and their total production each year is just 5,000 cases.

Vineyard

Planted in 1999, the grapes come from a 5.5 hectare block of Pinot Noir in the Mornington Peninsula. The clones are a mix of MV6, 114 and 115. Situated at an elevation of 65 metres with a north-western orientation, the vineyard has a great airflow, which minimises disease pressure as the canopy dries quickly. The soil is sandy loam which provides excellent drainage, essential nutrients for vine health and imparts a minerality to the flavour profile.

Winemaking

The grapes were hand-picked, meticulously hand sorted and destemmed. A cold soak took place for three to four days, prior to fermentation which took place in an open vat, using natural yeasts. Fermentation lasted for a period of four to six weeks, to maximise the aromatics. The wine was pressed to old oak puncheons of three to four years and matured in oak for 12 months. This wine was not filtered or fined prior to being bottled.

Serving Suggestion

Crispy duck pancakes or coq au vin. Also accompanies tuna and is ideal for sharing platters.

Grape

Pinot Noir 100%