This Sparkling Chardonnay, comes from the Yarra Valley its had wild yeast fermentation, wild malolactic fermentation, no temperature control and stored on lees in old French oak barrels prior to secondary fermentation in the bottle. No fining or filtration. Tiraged July 2012.
This means basically, the wine is mixed with an active yeast culture and a specific quantity of sugar so that once it is in bottle it will ferment. Carbon dioxide gas is a by product of fermentation and this is trapped inside the sealed bottles, producing bubbles.
2011 Yarra Valley Vintage Report – Chardonnay was looking particularly good. And fruit for Sparkling Wine is also excellent.
Disgorged October 2013 Zero dosage Alc 12.5% Now thats all the technical stuff out of the way thanks to C’ellar Vie. I don’t usually supply this info, however this wine knocked me for six never have I been so impressed with an Australian sparkling wine before I just had to look it up for my own interest.
Now to the real story I went out to dinner last Saturday night with people in the wine trade, so the wine list went on and on. Things that I haven’t tasted before. Including this 2011 sparkling wine from Luke Lambert. I tasted this wine from three different Riedel glasses, a vintage Champagne flute, a Shiraz glass, a Sangiovese glass and guess what?
Champagne Flute – medium size bubbles streaming up the side of the glass and lots of citrus fruit on the nose and on the plate. Sangiovese glass – bubbles from the centre of the glass with citrus and savoury apple on the nose in the mouth mature round savoury apple with citrus lifting plate. T
he Shiraz glass – Wow the yeast was dominant with soft ripe pear on the nose, the flavour citrus apple pear all fantastic. Sorry I didn’t even look at the bubbles I just wanted smell this wine for ever. The difference a glass can make to the smell and taste of a wine is incredible.
Conclusion – I may have just tasted what I think is one of Australia’s best sparkling wines, if not certainly the best that has come from the Yarra Valley ever.
MAX@Winereviews
