Nose
The residual sugar after dosage minimal, so it is predominantly fresh green apple aromas, zesty citrus notes.
Palate
A hint of elder flower that carry this elegant sparkling wine with its delicate fine bead and its
smooth creamy texture through to a refreshing clean finish.
Growing Conditions
After a relatively warm start to the season this year’s harvest began on February 9th, so roughly around
the same time as last year. Full flavour development, however, occurred at lower Baumés than in
previous years and with acid levels still very high- both factors that very much suit the style of wine we
make. As in 2015 the yields across all white varieties again were very low, which means we won’t have
a great deal of stock available once more. More importantly, however, quality of the fruit, and all wild
yeast ferments began with ease and continued to surprise us with the clean and extraordinary fragrant
aromatics they developed during the fermentation process, which is further testament to the excellent
health of our little vineyard. All in all another great vintage for the whites that we are really looking
forward to sharing with you soon.
Winemaking
This popular dry sparkling wine is made from 100% Chenin Blanc and produced in the traditional
method. Leading up to harvest the canopy of our 19 year old cane-pruned Chenin Blanc vines was
deliberately left untouched to ensure the fruit was shaded, which helps the grapes to retain their
natural acidity. After two months of lees contact the dry base wine was bottled and inoculated for its
secondary fermentation, which took place in each individual bottle over the course of one year.
