No:18 Jacob's Creek NV

Nice picture isn't it.....Wellington at it's finest when it's not blowing a gale or clouding over!

I'm afraid this is as good as it gets for this review. I tried to give it the best chance I could by having it on a gorgeously sunny day when I was hot and just ready for a glass of bubbles but it still isn't great. I know that it's at the cheaper end of the market but there are others out there which are only a few dollars more, if that and it really is worth spending that little bit more.

The fruit is over-ripe apples, lemons and mandarins with a few bready notes. The bubbles are large and feel sharp in the mouth with a bitter finish on the palate I'm struggling to find the love here. I'm not against big brands per se, some do excellent jobs such as Lindauer and Codorniu for example and I have nothing against Jacob's Creek at all, they make drinkable popular wines but this isn't great bubbly, it's a bit battery farming for grapes and it shows. 

Not a high point for the top 100, it's a shame that the big brands aren't doing something a little better than this to show the masses how good sparkling wine can be.