When I told people I was heading up to Martinborough they all said the same thing, go to Palliser Estate if you want bubbles.
They weren't wrong. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Allan Johnson who took me around the winery he has been working in for twenty years. During this time Palliser Estate has gained critical acclaim for their Traditional Method sparkling wine.
I tasted the 2006 which is a 50/50 split between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which went through malolactic fermentation before being aged for a further two and a half years on its lees.
An elegant and graceful wine, in the glass the columns of fast moving bubbles settle into fine beading on the rim. Rich and vegetal on the nose with some creamy, nutty, apple and lemon characteristics which followed through on to the palate with nectarine and ginger, crisp acidity and a creamy mouthfeel adding to the mix.
Palliser Estate was a worthwhile stop in the search for Kiwi bubbles, the length on the 2006 is flavoursome and harmonious and it is a real shame that there will be no 2011 sparkling in years to come. However, with twenty years experience producing high quality wines I trust Allan to decide when is or isn't the time to make things sparkle, he seems to have got it right so often in the past.
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