Vintage Brut
Conceived as a snap-shot of Tasmania, the Vintage Brut is blended from select, small parcels of grapes from vineyards, tended by sustainability-minded growers, across Tasmania, to express the multiplicity of Tasmania’s terroirs and the character of the year. Blending this wine is about respecting the character of the vintage, preserving it’s individual, complex identity. The opposite of blending for conformity or to enforce a house style on the fruit that the vineyards have given us. Working within a Chardonnay dominant matrix, the Vintage Brut usually consists of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir or Pinot Noir/ Pinot Meurnier.
Once bottled, the wines spend a minimum of six years on yeast lees and are then further aged under cork (for anything from six months up to two years) before release. Vintages are released when we judge them to be ready to drink. The wines are made to retain their freshness, so they can of course be cellared further if you wish, but you do not have to. Each release is limited to 2500 individually numbered bottles (plus magnums). The small numbers allow us to exercise strict control over the winemaking whilst individual bottle numbering means you are assured of provenance.
Traditional Method
2012
Varietal composition: 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir
Multi-regional blend (Tasman Peninsula, Coal River Valley, Tamar Valley)
Technical notes: Almost seven years on yeast lees (disgorged 28 January 2019) with a further two years under cork prior to initial release. Light dosage of 2.5 g/L, 12.8% alcohol v/v, TA 7.3 g/L, pH 2.97, partial MLF.
Exceedingly rare, 1400 bottles in total.
Tasting notes: "As fresh as a Spring morning,.. so pretty & delicate on the nose with fresh lemon, raw pastry dough, green apple & white peach blossom... The delicacy continues with minuscule bubbles dancing on the tongue & those springy/autumnal morning notes are joined by ground almonds, a clean salinity & a hint of caramelised pecans, vanilla, peaches, lemon posset & mouthwatering acidity. If you’re looking for a big, bold & rich sparkling, this ain’t it! This is as fine as a dewy, gossamer web on a hedge twinkling away as the sun rises & the new day brings its potential. This can age for years if you want to see those nutty flavours work their way to the fore but if you like things fresh, light, delicate & precise, don’t dilly dally, today is your day.." Curly Haslam-Coates The Wine Front
Vintage note: A warm, mild year with good fruit set, perfect ripening conditions and low disease pressure. A truly hands-off year and real pleasure for winemakers because all that needed to be said had already happened in the vineyard.
Awards & media
Gold Medal, Late Disgorged Vintage Sparkling Wine Class, 2021 Tasmanian Wine Show
97 points Decanter Aug 2022
96 points The Real Review Apr 2022
96 points Huon Hooke Sept 2021
95 points The Wine Front May 2021
Traditional method
2011
Varietal composition: 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir
Multi-regional blend (Coal River Valley, Tasman Peninsula, NE Tasmania, Pipers River)
Technical notes: Six years on yeast lees (disgorged 11 August 2017), 4.5 g/L dosage, 11.9% alcohol v/v, TA 8.52 g/L, pH 3.16, partial MLF.
Tasting notes: Striking pale colour. Notably elegant, harmonious & fresh with white florals, citrus zest & long, dry savoury mineral finish. Roasted hazlenut & brioche characters becoming evident with age.
Vintage note: A cold year bringing the challenge of low temperatures throughout the season, plus wind & rain at flowering & harvest. The cold fortunately kept disease in the vineyard at bay. Chardonnay’s & Chardonnay dominant wines from 2011 rewarded patience, transforming from steely to elegant.
Awards & media
94 points Halliday 2019 Wine Companion
96 points The Wine Front Aug 2020
"even after six years on yeast lees and two years on cork, this outstanding sparkling wine is pale, pure and pristine: two-thirds chardonnay, one-third pinot noir, lemony, bright, chalky and long. Delicious." Max Allen
Traditional Method
2010
Varietal composition: 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir
Multi-regional blend (Derwent Valley, Tasman Peninsula, NE Tasmania, Pipers River)
Technical notes: Seven years on yeast lees (disgorged 25 Aug 2017), 5.3 g/L dosage, 12.9% alcohol v/v, TA 7.35 g/L, pH 3.14, partial MLF
Tasting notes: An aperitif/ food friendly style with great intensity. Fine active bead & star-bright, yellow-golden colour. Vibrant lemon citrus, white florals, nougat, brioche, roasted nuts & lingering dry minerality.
Vintage note: A wet winter broke a 10+ year drought. The seemingly never-ending summer gave way to a long warm autumn which saw high yields of perfect fruit, with ripe flavours & aromas developing earlier than usual giving a powerful wine at 12.9% alcohol.
Awards & media
Silver medal: Late Disgorged Sparkling 2018 Tasmanian Wine Show
Gold Medal: Late Disgorged Sparkling 2019 Tasmanian Wine Show
Trophy: Best Late Disgorged Sparkling 2019 Tasmanian Wine Show
Trophy: Champion Wine of Show 2019 Tasmanian Wine Show
Extremely limited. Available as single bottle in six pack of 2011 Vintage Brut only (or contact us for a personal selection)
Blanc de Blanc
Literally white of white. A white wine made from a white grape variety. The singular is quite deliberate. These are wines that showcase a single variety. The current 2014 wines celebrate Chardonnay.
Traditional Method
2014 Blanc de Blanc
The fruit is from a single vineyard, Made purely from cuvee (no pressings). The juice was fermented in French oak barrels (puncheons and barriques) with a combination of wild yeast (indigenous yeast from the grape skins) and inoculated yeast strains and MLF was blocked (with low temperatures).
At completion of primary fermentation, wines received light lees stirring before being racked off gross lees.
Disgorged a single riddling cage at a time, each release is limited to fewer than 500 bottles. The accolades the current release has already garnered include being awarded 94 points by The Wine Front, a silver medal at the 2021 Tasmanian Wine Show and 95 points by Gourmet Traveller Wine.
Varietal composition: 100 % Chardonnay. Single vineyard (Stringybark Tamar valley, N Tasmania)
Technical notes: Six years on yeast lees, 2 g/L dosage. pH 3.03, TA 8.3, alcohol 11.83% v/v. Disgorged October 2020. 477 Bottles in this release.
Tasting notes: Stunningly fresh, complex and elegant. The time of lees contributes aromas of fresh sourdough bread, roasted hazelnut & toast. The dominant thrust on the nose is honey suckle & apple blossom with fresh hay/wild meadow herbs, & crisp white stone fruit. The palate is refined but rich with a core of bright acidity, toast, fresh apricots & nectarine leading in to a long, satisfying, savoury, mineral/ saline finish. That is balanced by a creamy mid-palate & soft texture. Recommend drinking anytime over the next decade.
Vintage note: Squally, cool, wet & windy conditions around flowering & fruit set dramatically reduced yields, particularly in Pinot Noir. Berry size (particularly in Pinot Noir) was below average but overall fruit quality was superb.
Serve at 8-10 oC .
95 points Gourmet Traveler Wine April/May 2021.
94 points The Wine Front Dec 2020.
Silver Medal Vintage Sparkling Class, 2021 Tasmanian Wine Show.
Very limited availability
Second Disgorgement
2014 Blanc de Blanc D2
Varietal composition: 100 % Chardonnay. Single vineyard (Stringybark Tamar valley, N Tasmania)
Technical notes: Almost eight years on yeast lees, 2.5 g/L dosage. pH 3.03, TA 8.3, alcohol 11.83% v/v, malolactic fermention blocked with cool temperature tirage. Disgorged Mar 2022. A mere 900 bottles in this final release.
Tasting notes: Proving the power of time on yeast lees & even small variations in composition to produce profound changes to the sparkling wine in one's glass. With an extra 16 months on yeast lees & a different reserve wine in the dosage liqueur (a mere 0.25% in both cases), the second disgorgement of the 2014 pure cuvee Blanc de Blanc has a distinct identity from it's predecessor.
Palest green-gold in hue. Clean on the nose and fresh like an alpine meadow with integrated aromas of toasted almonds, lime blossom, lemon curd, pretty white florals, crunchy green apples and wet stones. Delicate, with loads of finesse the palate is long, and satisfying with a dry, savoury, almost saline finish. A very youthful eight year old!
Gold Medal 2022 Australian Sparkling Wine Show
96 Points Huon Hooke
Brut Rosé
There are so many ways of making pink wines & consequently, numerous styles of rosé. While the techniques used to arrive at the final wine may evolve over time & with vintage the aim is always to reflect the fruit. Similarly the composition of the wines may change depending on the balance between Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier produced/sourced each year.
Traditional Method/ Modified Ancestral
2015 Brut Rosé
Variatal composition: Pinot Noir (MV6), single vineyard (Orani, Sorell-Tasman).
Winemaking: Made as a pure expression of single vineyard, Southern Tasmanian Pinot Noir. Utilising a modified ancestral method. The cuvée and pressings portions of the juice were separated and cold settled. The pressings underwent spontaneous fermentation to dryness in aged oak. Light lees stirring of the oak portion aimed to build palate depth without overpowering the wine’s delicate texture. The tank, however, was chilled to slow and then completely halt the spontaneous fermentation before being blended
with the dry base wine in barrel to achieve a residual sugar content of around 23 g/L. The blended wine and must was then warmed for tirage.
Technical notes: Seven years on lees (disgorged Aug 2022), 2 g/L dosage, TA 6.5 g/L, pH 3.24, no MLF. Vegan friendly, made with minimum sulphites. Closure: natural cork
ABV: 11.4%
Tasting notes: Delicate salmon blush. Complex nose of fresh red fruits (raspberries, cranberries), ripe peach, pastry, hints of blackcurrant/rhubarb, quince paste, crunchy red apple with a zing of raspberry sherbet on the mid-palate. Savory tones derived from 7 years on yeast lees and firm acid line compliment a delicate,
lightly textured mouthfeel to give a refined, balanced palate and lingering, dry satisfyingly, moreish finish. Seriously frivolous. Highly delicious.
Serve at 8-10oC with your
favourite selection of Tasmanian cheeses, fresh shellfish, Peking duck or pork bao buns.
Production size: 500 bottles
Traditional method
2013
Varietal composition: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir. Single vineyard (White Rock).
Winemaking: With only an old crank basket-press available - it took 12 hours to process the whole-bunch Chardonnay. Using that basket press allowed a very precise determination of each press fraction & exactly when to stop pressing. We believe that precision is worth the effort. Deliberately low-tech, the juice literally went straight from the press by bucket into old oak barrels to undergo spontaneous fermentation (wild ferment). The colour of this wines is entirely due to the time (24 h) the crushed and destemmed Pinot Noir spent on skins.
Technical notes: Six years on yeast lees (disgorged June 2019), 7.5 g/L dosage, 13.4% alcohol v/v, TA 7.66 g/L, pH 3.15, no MLF or reserve wines. Released in November 2019.
Vegan friendly
Tasting notes: Delicate pale blush. Complex nose of fresh red fruits (raspberrys, cranberries, strawberrys, pomegranate), hints of blackcurrant/ rhubarb, crunchy red apple with white peach top notes from Chardonnay. Savoury undertones and acid line compliment a creamy, textural mouthfeel to give a refined balanced palate and lingering finish.
Awards & media
"Pale salmon-pink; the white peach of the chardonnay and wild strawberry of the pinot are joined in vinous holy matrimony. Such dosage as there was is hidden in the satin of the fruit. Lovely wine."
96 points James Halliday 2021 Wine Companion
"This wonderful sparkling rosé ... Like the Vintage Brut, it’s pure and precise, but it also has subtle creamy texture and a lovely rose-hip tang thanks to the wild primary fermentation in older barrels" Max Allen
