CHANDON N/V BLANC DE BLANCS ($30)
This week I am talking about a truly excellent Australian sparkling wine.
As I have mentioned several times before, I believe that we need to come up with a generic name for Australian sparkling wines now that they have become world class. The Spanish call theirs Cava, The Germans & Austrians call their Sekt, the Italians Asti Spumante and even the Poms are considering calling their sparkling wines “British Fizz”
So come on Aussies there must be a suitable generic name out there somewhere, maybe “bubbles”??
Anyhow down to today’s wine, it comes from the venerable Champagne House of Chandon, who cleverly in the later half of last century spread their wings and set up operations in China, India, Brazil, California and Australia.
Chandon Australia has been based in Victoria’s Yarra Valley since 1986, making an excellent range of “methode traditionelle” (bottle fermented) sparkling wines. It is one of the top few sparkling wine producers in the country.
Today’s wine is the CHANDON N/V BLANC DE BLANC (white from white) is made from Chardonnay. This wine has a lovely, light, bright yellow colour, vibrant ripe apple aromas along with some yeast autolysis characters on the very attractive bouquet. The palate offers a gorgeous mouthful of tasty, complex, rich flavours, beautifully balanced, with a crisp, bright, refreshing finish.
To put it simply, this sparkler is MAGNIFICENT- TOP CLASS!!!
Well worth seeking out, it is readily available from www.chandon.com.au along with the rest of their excellent range including their fabulous “Winemakers Explorations” Cellar Door wines.
Dan Traucki