Tamar Ridge, Vintage Cuvee, 2006

Unless you have been asleep, or merely fixated on the gold dress, it is impossible to skim over my weakness for Tassie bubbles. It has brought me to the other side of the world and although the 100 Aussie sparkling wines  has a pretty strong Tassie bias, this is one that isn't on the initial list.   

This omission isn't for any other reason than there was already way over 100 on the initial list and it needed slimming down a little. 2006 has provided some very smart wines from Tasmania and the Tamar Ridge vintage Cuvee is no exception, it is a cracker of a wine.

Medium lemon with a fine persistence, the nose is yeasty and autolytic with an almost oxidised approach combined with honey, brioche, apple and apricot. On the palate the mousse is rich and creamy which sets off a sparkling that is elegant but firm and flavoursome. Baked apples and stone fruits give way to leave the wine with a combination of citrus, honey and biscuits at the end. 


It will be interesting to watch this one develop as it is still very much developing rather than being fully mature but it is already an absolute belter. One to get a case of and pull out a bottle every now and then just to see how it is doing.

No:80 Croser, Petaluma, 2008

One of the joys of the wine industry beyond the vinous pleasures is the people one meets along the way. The other joy is that they always bring nice wine.


Celebrating new friends (Dredgey, Ella and Tom) new jobs (me!) and a new PhD (Reuben) we were a merry bunch indeed and the evening kicked off with Croser 2008. Being too busy gossiping and eating cheese I managed to write a tasting note but managed took no pictures. In these circumstances I've done the only thing that can be done and included a wine dog picture instead. This is Max, he watched us drink the Croser 2008.

Made in Piccadilly Valley in Adelaide Hills these bubbles are pale lemon with lots of small fast moving bubbles forming a fine beading on the rim. On the nose ripe stone fruits such as apricot and nectarine combined with a hint of vanilla, brioche and a little almost custardy flavour. 


The ripe stone fruit flavour continued on the palate where fresh citrus and apples keep the wine fresh and crisp with a real youthful edge. A blend of 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay the wine was fermented in old Vosges barriques and went through a partial malolactic fermentation to create an approachable and enjoyable wine.

Brothers from another mother

Well my trip to Tassie has got a little more exciting. By the time I make it to Launceston, Tamar Ridge Estates, which includes the magnificent Pirie, will be part of the Brown Brothers family. 

I have a particular fondness for the wines of Brown Brothers; I love their secondary mini winery at Milawa for their experimental varieties and their excellent and unusual range. I was fortunate enough to visit the folks in Milawa back in 2008 on my Vintners Bursary trip and had a more than thorough tasting of their range and was massively impressed with the Sangiovese that had been tucked away and allowed to mellow and settle itself to become a beautiful savoury beast that showed real elegance and class.

 It will be really interesting to see what they do in Tasmania, Ross Brown, as quoted in The Shout, had this to say... “This is a very sound business that ticks all our strategic objectives for growth in pinot and sparkling, and at the same time reduces the risk of drought and associated high temperatures and scarcity of water,".

 For us sparkling fans it could be very interesting to see how they help to shape the endless joy that is Tassie sparkling wine and I am very lucky that I shall be on that magical isle in the infancy of this new era.

 If you're not sure where my obsession with Tassie fizz comes from, check out these links...you're welcome!

www.jansz.com.au

www.pirietasmania.com.au

www.bayoffireswines.com.au 

www.slw.com.au 

http://www.brownbrothers.com.au