2023 Ocean Eight Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula

Medium-full red with slight purple tinges, the bouquet floral and whole-bunchy with a herbal/stemmy overtone, the palate light to middle weight with moderate intensity and length, the immediate palate fruity, varietal and attractive. 
 
90 points Huon Hooke therealreview.com 2024 Drink 2024–2029

Chris, Gail and Michael Aylward were involved in the establishment of the Kooyong vineyard and winery, and after selling Kooyong in 2003, retained their 6ha pinot gris vineyard at Shoreham. After careful investigation, they purchased another property, where they have now planted 7ha of pinot noir and 3ha of chardonnay. A small winery has been set up, and the focus will always be on estate-grown grapes. 

The winery is managed by Michael and Hollie Aylward whose passion originated over a decade ago with a part-time job at the family’s previous winery Kooyong. Ocean Eight has evolved into the couple’s full-time obsession.

Whilst the first crops ripened on the vine, to further cultivate their viticultural experience, the Aylward’s embarked on several tours of the renowned vineyards and cellars of the Burgundy region in France. These trips played an important factor in the style of wines now produced at Ocean Eight.

When defining what identifies the Ocean Eight wines, Mike Aylward always returns to two ideas he has worked on since the first release wine; how well are they going to match with food and will they best represent the climate and grape growing conditions of the Mornington Peninsula.

Therefore the Ocean Eight wines are lean, bright and tight with acid at the finish. These characters help the wines pair with food and age incredibly well. It is no coincidence that these characters are also intrinsic to the cool, maritime conditions of Mornington Peninsula vineyards, where the Aylward’s chose to grow grapes and make wines over 20 years ago.

James Halliday Wine Companion