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Ocean Eight
2009 Pinot Noir
Quite a deep blood red color this 2009 version of the ever fickle Pinot Noir displays slightly riper fruit than previous vintages. The flavours remain, however, very much in the lighter red fruit area, with plump raspberry and a hint of perfumed strawberry being the most evident. These aromas are vivid and fresh, giving the wine a very youthful appearance, seemingly younger than a wine that is approaching 2 years of age.
Whilst the fruit flavours follow through on the palate they are joined with some secondary earthy characters that adds complexity and gives the wine extra viscosity. The finish sees plenty of firm grape tannin as well as crisp acid giving the wine a tight lingering ending.
Given the vibrancy of the wine it will match up with the spicier side of game food. Quail with a spicy Szechuan pepper sauce would be ideal.
Displaying a very dark red hue with just the slightest orange tinge on the rim of the glass the appearance of the wine spells out concentration and power. The bouquet is a mixture of primary fruits and the complex secondary notes. The primary fruit is bright fresh raspberry whilst the other flavours include moist leaf and mushrooms combined with the perfume of lavender.
On the palate all these flavours merge together seamlessly. This merger leads into a thick textural experience as the wine circles around inside the mouth. The wine is certainly rich and powerful yet it is also delicate and fragrant. Refreshing acidity combined with a subtle backbone of tannin highlights the finish.
This wine is just crying out for the classic Peking Duck. Here the crunch of the skin, the rich flesh and the sweetness of the sauce are matched with the wine's intensity and the acid at the finish balances out the aftertaste. If this dish is not readily available other Duck dishes that combines a fruity sauce would also work well with this wine.
2009 Verve Chardonnay
The inspiration for the Ocean Eight Verve Chardonnay comes from this region of Chablis. The chardonnay grapes for this wine are the earliest picked on the Mornington Peninsula with the exception of fruit for Sparkling. The wine is stored for 10-12 months on full solids in ‘old' oak barrels. The aim is to maintain excellent natural acidity that will enable the wine to age well. There is no new oak used in this wine. As with our pinot noir we want to highlight the fruit spectrum of racy lemon/lime acidity without coating the wine with unbalancing oak flavours. This is the reason we call our Chardonnay Verve (lively). It is a descriptor for the racy acidity that trademarks this wine year in year out.
The 2009 Verve Chardonnay is a very subtle wine! There are macadamia-nut aromas with some clove spices from barrel fermentation. The fruit is very much in the lime and grapefruit spectrum. The finish is the highlight with a racy acid and mineral mouth-feel up the centre of the pallet. This wine will match well with Oysters, Scallops and other subtle seafood dishes.
Ocean Eight is a true "Estate" in that it owns its own vineyards and does not buy in additional fruit.
The vineyards are located in the Mornington Peninsula, a cool climate area that already has produced high quality wine in a very short time.
There are two separate locations, a warmer site for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and a cooler site for Pinot Gris.
Pruning and other vineyard work is used to keep yields low and quality high, with an objective of 2 tons per acre in some parts of the vineyard and even lower in other parts.
The grapes are picked when the fruit flavour and acid is in balance, at the beginning of the ripening phase, therefore making a more natural wine with little need for additions.
The wine is made with as little intervention as possible, meaning that there is no added cultured yeast and lees stirring is kept to a minimum. The wines are not pumped and malolactic is avoided in the white wines. Oak barrels are used as storage and maturation vessels for texture and balance, not for flavour therefore most of the oak has already been used.
The wine is matured in a controlled underground cellar. They are blended and bottled when it suits the wine not to make room for next years vintage.
The wine is sold primarily into the top end restaurant market and a few independent retailers as well as cellar door and mail order.
Because of the freshness of fruit, high acidity and concentration (due to low yield) the wines make great matches with a variety of food styles.
It is the intention that each new release will be an improvement on the previous wine.
Ocean EIght
