Post the visit to Yarra Valley, it was now time to visit the other Pinot Noir and Chardonnay region in Victoria, Mornington Peninsula.

However, since we were in Melbourne, no morning will be complete without trying the famous Australian coffee (aka. flat white).  So after a quick search online, we decided to visit St Ali which was closeby.

The place looked very cool and had a nice rustic charm to it.

Refreshed and woken up, it was time to set off to Mornington Peninsula.  Our first stop was Merricks General Store in Merrick, the eastern end of Mornington Peninsula.

Merricks is actually a popular restaurant.  It is a JV between 3 local wineries so natrually they have a cellar door to taste a massive selection of wines from 3 producers… a 3 in 1 bargain!

First up were 2 Viogniers from 2 different producers.

Elgee Park Viognier 2009

Nose:  Not much nose to speak off.  Perhaps the wine was served too cold?

Taste: A simple fruity and tangy texture.

Finish:  Short finish of c5 seconds

Baillieu Viognier 2011

Nose:  Lychee, sweet fruits

Taste:  Fruity with a light to medium body

Finish:  Short 5 second finish

Next up was Quealy Fruilano 2012

The Fruilano grape is a local grape from the region.

Nose: Light lemony nose, bit like a Sauvignon Blanc

Taste:  Medium bodied

Finish: Short 5 sec finish

This was followed by Pobblebonk 2012 which seemed to pack a different selction of white grapes…

Nose: Fresh white flower, hint of honeycomb

Taste:  Smooth white fruity balance.  Low acidity

Finish:  Short finish of 10 seconds.

Surprisingly Pobblebonk works and tastes great!  I would recommend everyone to at least give it a try.

Quealy Moscato

Nose:  Good muscat grape nose.  Hint of greeness and cut grass

Taste:  Bubbly with a nice hint of sweetness

Finish:  Short 5 sec finish

Queally Musk Creek Pinot Noir 2010

Nose:  Simple singular fruity nose

Taste: Medium bodied with strong acidity.

Finish:  10 sec finish

This is another one of those weird blends with an equally cool label to match

Nose: Red fruits, red berries

Taste:  Good body and balance.  The red fruit does carry over to the taste along with a low acidity

Finish:  10 sec finish

Baillieu Reserve Pinot Noir 2010

Nose:  red and black fruits.  Good perfume

Taste: Good balance, fruity and slightly tannic

Finish:  10 sec finish

Queally 17 rows Pinot Noir 2011

Nose:  muted fruit nose and not that pronounced.

Good acidity but that seems to overpower the fruit at this moment.

Finish:  Long 25 sec finish.

A good wine but 2011 wasn’t a good year so the fruit did not really shine.

We finally finished with a muscat rose

Nose:  Sweet strawberries, lychees and roses

Taste: good body and balance.  Decent sweetness but not overpowering.

Finish:  15 second finish.

After having a chat with the kind sommelier, he kindly informed us that Quealy is having a clear skins garage sale.  That sounded perfect so off we went to pay the vineyard a visit.

We were greeted by a very observant front of house.

Quealy Balnarring Pinot Noir 2012

A simple and easy to drink Pinot Noir.  Sometimes, there is no point in making wine too complex :-P.

After an extensive visit to the visit, then it was time for a quick lunch and then off to Montalto

This is what happens when you do not have enough wine!

Montalto Hawkins Hill Chardonnay 2011

Nose: Fruity- lemon, apple and white pear

Taste: Good backbone and structure

Finish: 15 second finish.

By this time my friend and I were Chardonnay’ed out.  So we decided to visit a vineyard which had won a lot of awards but was off the beaten track.

Ocean’s Eight (No the proprietor is not George Clooney) supposedly makes fabulous pinot noirs and the vigneron allegedly trained in Burgundy… so this must be good…

The cellar door itself looks very pretty.  It was simple (no french castles here) but still presented nicely.

We were served by a very nice (and good looking) young winemaker, but what really caught my eye were the burgundy wine bottles on the top shelf!

As for the wines, they are quite well made.

Oceans Eight Pinot Noir 2010

Nose: Red fruits, strawberry, red cherries and hint of spice.

Taste: Good fruit balance and low tannins.  A typical cool climate wine

Finish:  Decent 20 second fruity finish.

Aylward Reserve Pinot Noir 2010

Nose:  Red fruits, cassis, hint of dark cherries

Taste:  Fruity taste, good balance and overall a more elegant wine

Finish:  25 second finish

Aylward Reserve Pinot Noir 2009

Nose:  Red cherries, hint of vanilla. fruit forward but still a very burgundian nose

Taste:  Nice balance and a rounded texture.  Silky smotth.  Good fruit and a good tannic body.

Finish:  25 second finish

We were really trying to squeeze in as many cellar doors as possible now.  We were very lucky to be able squeeze into Prancing Horse.  A beautiful estate which winemaker was an ex-Accenture consultant.  The owner (tony Hancy) told us that his Prancing Horse wine (the Pony) are currently being served on Qantas’ business class routes.  Classy stuff!  However that was not the biggest surprise, he also has a vineyard in Burgundy and was only too keen to crack opena few bottles to share (or compare).

Unfortunately to me, I felt Tony shot himself in the foot as the Morey St Denis was just sublime (when one ignores the price).

Prancing Horse, Morey St Denis, Clos des Ormes 2007

Nose:  Red berries, raspberries, red cherries, hint of spice and light soya sauce

Taste:  Lovely balance, beautiful fruit profile, good acidity and sweet tannins.

Finish:  20 second finish

Sadly, after I tasted this burgundy, it just did it in for me for all pinot noirs that day.  No matter, Paringa Estate, which is just up the road, makes very good Pinot so hopefully they can salvage some credit for the Mornington Peninsula.

This was sadly our last stop in Mornington Peninsula… but what a view!

Imagine sitting down by the window, sipping wine and soaking in the magnificent view… ahhhhh bliss!

Paringa Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010

Nose: a bit of heat, Lemon fruits

Taste: Good rounded texture.  The fruit envelops the mouth.  Good balance and acidity.

Finidh:  15 second finish

Paringa Estate Peninsula Pinot Noir 2011

Nose:  Strawberry, fruit forward nose, red fruits

Taste:  Simple fruity texture

Finish: 15 second finish

Paringa Estate Peninsula Pinot Noir 2009

Nose:  Dense red fruits, Cassis and hint of black berries

Taste:  Smooth Texture, red fruit carries throughout the palate.  Slight acidity but good tannins.

Finish: 15 second finish

Paringa Estate Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009

Nose:  Dense and concentrated.  Red berries, hint of cassis and liquorice.

Taste:  Very good balance, sweet tannins and a super smooth texture.

Finish:  25 second finish

This wine is very elegant and is a bigger but finer wine than the non single vineyard version.  Lovely wine!  Shame about the price (over A$100 a bottle)!

This was a very successful trip and deepened my understanding of Aussie new world wines.  It was now time to drive back to Melbourne and there was just one last drink to try before making the journey back…

… a well needed Piccolo.