In celebration of International Pinot Noir Day on August 18th  – I opened a 375 ml bottle of Kooyong Estate Pinot 2016 – Mornington Peninsula.

What a lovely wine. A delicious background of cherry and gentle black pepper notes. Medium bodied and seamless on the palate. Soft tannins with well integrated acidity keeping it nice and fresh. It slowly unfolds on the back palate. Happily, no oaky protrusions were detected here.

I really enjoyed the subtly of the wine. I have been finding that older wines I have been drinking from my humble collection have often appeared very oaky. This is particularly apparent from the warmer regions of South Australia ( Let’s say Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale), where some producers were known to use a heavy dose of American oak.

Unlike most heavier reds would have – the Kooyong 2016 Pinot Noir wine worked beautifully with my ‘home alone’ left over roast chicken and veggies.

Once again, it proves what a magnificent region the Mornington Peninsula is for fine quality Pinot Noir.

I would like to remind you that ‘The proof is not in the pudding’. The proof of the pudding shall be in the eating! Or in this case, in the drinking! Delicioso!