This month’s tasting focussed on sparkling wines. There was no restriction on grape variety, colour, vintage or place of origin. Surprisingly, we ended up with four NV whites, and 3 vintage rose bubblies. I knew I should have brought a red …….
Unlike our previous tastings, we did not taste these wines blind. We tasted the NVs first, then the roses. The notes are a composite of comments made by the tasting group, and are not necessarily reflective of my opinion. With that disclaimer, here they are.
Sittella NV Chenin Blanc (Swan Valley WA 12.5% alcohol). Pale straw colour with a soft bead. There are aromas of juicy red apples, pears, a little yeast, orange peel, and a slew of florals: lemon blossom, jasmine and violets. The palate is creamy, with some citrus and white peach. Soft acid leads to a velvety mouthfeel. A good opening wine.
Freixenet Elissa Grand Cuvee Brut (Spain 12%). Pale straw in colour with a noticeable bead. The nose shows Granny Smith apples, yellow peaches and some yeast autolysis. The palate is quite dry, with more peach and stone fruit, and some tropical fruits. Soft acid contributes to the freshness of the wine. It has a good mouthfeel without being too heavy.
Domaine Rolet Pere et Fils Cremant Du Jura (Jura, France, 12%). Pale yellow with a pronounced bead. It’s flinty with a little toast, and some orange rind or tangerine. The palate is very dry and crisp with almost sharp acid. There’s soft citrus across the palate, and the wine has a medium finish. Apparently, this is 57% chardonnay.
Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve (Champagne, France). More developed yellow in colour, attesting to at least 5 years cellaring after purchase. The nose is rich, yeasty and complex with some brine alongside the more typical strawberry. The wine is slightly honeyed and waxy (attesting to bottle age with reasonable acid supporting nectarines, caramelised figs and some toastiness.
Then onto three very different roses:
Mann 2016 (Swan Valley, WA). This is a sparkling Cabernet Sauvignon which has been the so-called retirement project for Dorham Mann (son of Houghton’s Jack Mann) for at least 25 years that I know of. It’s orange / salmon in colour. The nose shows lots of ripe strawberries, and surprisingly, fino sherry. Acid is prominent and cleansing, and the wine appears very fresh, with strawberries and cream, and more sherry on the palate. The group considered this to be a goof food wine, with some tannic grip, and is full bodied and almost liqueur like. It would be interesting to find out what Dorham uses for dosage.
Bird in Hand Sparkling Pinot Noir 2018 (Adelaide Hills, SA). A pale pink blush in colour. The immediate impression on the nose is candy floss – it’s confectioned, with musk sticks and Allen’s lollies. The palate is quite sweet, and simple, with some grapefruit, strawberries and cream. The group reckoned this was made for a specific market, and that market wasn’t us
Arras Rose 2007. Pale salmon in colour. Lots of biscuit and toast initially, with prominent burnt caramel (which stayed with the wine over time). The group comments became quite fanciful at this point, eventually landing on “Bacon glazed in maple syrup”. The palate is very savoury, and has high acid. More unusual descriptors emerged: chicken stock, rosemary and garlic. There’s also bruised red apple, strawberries and grapefruit. The mouse was quite diminished (not surprising, given the vintage, and it’s a powerful wine.
Wine of the night was the Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve, by a large margin.
Our next tasting falls on what is apparently International Malbec Day, so you can guess the theme!
Cheers
Allan