Out Of The Bottle
With David Ellis Chandon's Tasmanian Cuvée 2008 & Yealands Way 2011 Pinot Gris
When
one of our most respected sparkling winemakers sums up a vintage in
just one word – fantastic – you can expect a bubbly from that year to
be nothing other than, well, fantastic.
And that’s the case with
Chandon’s Tasmanian Cuvée 2008, a celebration drop that the company’s
Sparkling Winemaker, Glenn Thompson can quite rightly describe as “a
sensational blend of vibrancy, complexity and intensity.”
Made
up of 48 per cent Pinot Noir and 52 per cent Chardonnay from the
cool-climate Coal River Valley south-east of Hobart, this sparkling
reflects just what comprised that “fantastic” vintage – a perfect
growing season followed by a long, slow and cool ripening period that
meant for wonderful flavour development and beautiful natural acidity.
Add
to all this Glenn Thompson and his team’s skills in the winery and
you’ve a wine with a silky palate of brioche and toast from extended
yeast aging, and which melds with lush fruits and a backbone of fresh
acidity and minerality. At $39.95 you’ll find it ideal with that next
celebration brunch. One For Lunch
With some of the
toughest conditions in New Zealand’s Marlborough – steep slopes that
many said were impossible for viticulture, high sunshine, strong winds,
cool nights and low rainfall – you’d wonder why Peter Yealands even
bothered.
But with determination and a great winemaker in Tamra
Washington he’s created some extraordinarily good wines, not the least
his just-released Yealands Way 2011 Pinot Gris. Remarkably this variety
actually flourishes in those harsh conditions we’ve mentioned, and the
2011 is full of stone fruit and honey flavours, and nicely-balanced
fruit smoothness and acidity.
At $17.99 it’s great value with Asian dishes or lighter Southern Italian pastas.
Need a drink?
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