Vintage Brut
The only multi-vineyard wine and the only wine in the range with significant vinification in stainless steel. Working within a Chardonnay dominant matrix (usually in the order of 70%), we select parcels of fruit from vineyards across Tasmania to express the essence of Tasmanian terroirs and the character of the year. For these wines, blending 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.
Once bottled, the wines spend a minimum of six years on yeast lees and are then further aged under cork (ideally for two years) before release. Vintages are disgorged when we judge them to be ready and released when they are ready to drink. Because the wines are made to retain their freshness, you can of course cellar them further but you do not have to. Each release is limited to 1500 individually numbered bottles plus magnums (from 2018). The small numbers allows us to exercise strict control over the winemaking whilst individual bottle numbering means our customers can be assured of provenance.
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 nut character appearing 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
Like it's Triple Wild twin, this is an exploration of Chardonnay. The fruit is from a single vineyard, the juice fermented in oak barrels. This wine, however, was made from 100% cuvee (no pressings) to celebrate the purity of Chardonnay fruit. Some barrels were fermented with wild yeast (indigenous yeast from the grape skins) whilst others were inoculated with one of two commercial yeast strains and MLF was blocked (with low temperatures).
Our wine are usually released with at least six months under cork (i.e. post-disgorging). Every rule has an exception and here is ours. Such is the quality of this wine that it debuted with just two and three months under cork - being awarded 94 points by The Wine Front in December 2020 and winning silver a month later in the Vintage Sparkling Class of the Tasmanian Wine Show.
Varietal composition: 100 % Chardonnay. Single vineyard (Stringybark 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 with the oak showing through as hints of something almost smoky – maybe even Lap Sang Sou Chong. The dominant thrust on the nose is white blossom, lemon zest, fresh straw and wild meadow herbs, mineral and crisp white stone fruit. The palate has a powerful core of bright acid, lemon, nectarine with a persistent dry, savoury, mineral/ saline finish. That’s balanced by a creamy mid-palate. Recommend drinking anytime over the next decade.
Serve at 8-10 oC with your favourite fine cheese platter, herb-laden salad, duck-fat chips, oysters au naturel, scallops pan-fried in good butter or cheese/herb souffle/ pastries - for an indulgent night in, substitute cheese puffs for fois gras/ duck parfait.
94 points The Wine Front Dec 2020 (just two months after disgorging).
Silver Medal Vintage Sparkling Class, 2021 Tasmanian Wine Show (just 3 months after disgorging)
Traditional method
2014 Triple Wild Blanc de Blanc
Proving that sometimes it is the simple things that are the hardest. These are single vineyard wines that put the traditional back into traditional method. Envisaged as a pure expression of the vineyard, the fermentations are completely spontaneous. That is the primary ferment is conducted in oak barrels by the yeast living on the grape skins. These indigenous or wild yeasts then perform the second ferment (tirage) in the bottle and malolactic fermentation (MLF) also proceeds naturally within the bottle. If that all sounds rather risky, yes it is. Not for the nervous or faint-hearted, it's an exciting way to make sparkling wine. The results are really special so all the extra/obsessive care is definitely worthwhile.
Varietal composition: 100% Chardonnay
Single vineyard (Stringybark, N Tasmania)
Technical notes: Four years on yeast lees (disgorged December 2018), 2 g/L dosage, 12.1% alcohol v/v, TA 6.87 g/L, pH 3.41, complete MLF, only 200 bottles made. Released in July 2019.
Vegan friendly
Tasting notes: Straw-green. Vinous, complex, intense nose with notes of orange blossom, acacia, nougat and dried grass. The fine acid line, zest and top notes balance the creamy mouthfeel. Remarkably fresh, even ethereal, on the palate, flavours of bread, baked apple, hay, and nougat give way to a lingering savoury finish.
Vintage note: Squally, cool, wet and windy conditions around flowering and fruit set dramatically reduced yields, particularly in Pinot Noir.
Awards & media
93 points Halliday 2020 Wine Companion
"deliciously candied, toasty, umami-packed 2014 fizz (wild primary ferment in barrel, wild secondary ferment, wild malolactic in bottle – almost unheard-of in sparkling wine circles)" Max Allen
"It’s extremely unusual to find a sparkling wine that has undergone wild primary, secondary and malolactic fermentation, and in extremely limited production: just 200 bottles made. Extremely good, too: candied lemon peel chardonnay fruit flavours, textural and rich, then bone-dry, almost Vegemite-yeasty intensity to the finish" Max Allen.
Brut Rosé
A labour of loves. There are so many ways of making pink wines. Some of these result in different styles of rosé. The aim should always be for the wine to reflect the fruit. Come and explore.
The intention is to make these as single vineyard wines. The techniques used to arrive at the final wine may evolve over time & with vintage. Similarly the composition of the wines may change depending on the balance between Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier produced/sourced each year.
In 2013, for our debut Brut Rosé is 50:50 blend of Chardonnay & Pinot Noir. 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.
Traditional method
2013
Varietal composition: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir. Single vineyard (White Rock).
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
Seasonal Collections
Love is in the air...
Inspired by Valentine's Day, our critically acclaimed & award winning 2013 Brut Rosé is paired with delicious, Tasmanian, hand made chocolates.
What to expect of the 2013 Brut Rose:
"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
Each pack contains a bottle of 2013 Brut Rose, handmade red velvet chocolates from Federation Artisan Chocolate accompanied by your handwritten message delivered freight free within Australia in a beautiful, flame-branded wooden box (just select the "Love is" freight option at checkout). Padded with locally sourced, heat treated wood wool.
Love is kind - wine and chocolates are vegan friendly. An elegant, thoughtful gift for any discerning lover of fine things (yourself included).
