28 January 2010
An interesting tasting of wines with bubbles and a small bracket of Pinot Noir. The bracket of sparkling wines was very diverse, both in style and in grape variety. Champagne (wines from the Champagne region in France) can be made from three varieties – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.
A wine only made from chardonnay is referred to as a Blanc de Blanc. As the name suggests, this is a white wine made from white (Green) grape varieties. A Blanc de Noir (white from black) is made only from the red (pinot) grape varieties.
A Rose can be made in two ways. One is to use a portion of base wine that has been left in contact with the skins of the red grapes to pick up some colour prior to vinification (wine making). The other is to add a little red wine to the blend at a later stage to add the required colour.
Wines from any region outside of the Champagne region are not allowed to use the name Champagne. Often, they are made in a similar fashion, but without the regulations imposed on the producers of Champagne. Several other production techniques are used at the bottom end of the market.
We included a small bracket of pinot noirs in the tasting as it almost matched the theme and they needed to be tried at some stage. The pinots really struggled in the tasting for two reasons. Firstly, they followed on from the sweet moscatos, which dulled our palates somewhat. Secondly. several of the wines were simply too young. The Stefano Lubiano in particular improved dramatically after being opened for a day.
Tasted
Silkwood – Pinot Noir – Premium – 2006 (17). Earthy nose showing some development. Touch of barnyard and sticking plaster. Ripe, but quite grippy and tight. Needs time to open and soften. Oak will integrate more in a year or two.
Jansz – Brut – LD – 2002 – NV (17*). Much finer than most here. Elegant, refined, balanced and poised. Long and silky palate. Quite buttery and developed. An interesting style.
Jansz – Brut – Premium Vintage Rose– 2006 (16.8*). Obvious Rose. Faint touch of berries. Refined, elegant, sophisticated and long. good texture and mouth feel. Builds.
Prince Laurent – Brut – Champagne – NV (16.8). More obvious champagne style on this. Very well made with some obvious lees characters. Very fine mousse. Tight and fresh, but not complex on the palate. Medium length.
Si – Moscato – Sparkling – NV (16.7). Grapey fruit, musk and spice. The palate is vibrant, sexy and lots of fun. Good acidity to close. Not complex or serious but hard to resist. A fair bit of residual sugar makes this a good option on a warm afternoon.
Jansz – Brut – Premium Non Vintage Rose – NV (16.5). Not my style, but received good support from the rest of the panel. Good length and mouth feel.
Leon Palais – Brut – Blanc de Blanc – NV (16.5). Hard work to start due to restrained style. Apple and creamy lemon to the fore on a lively palate. Some complexity evident. Very good value at under $15. (This is not from the Champagne region).
Preveli – Brut – Blanc de Noir – 2006 (16.5). Orange hue reflects the fact that this is made from pinot. Richer and more obvious than some others, with rich peachy fruit and some developed caramel. Good acid and a touch of residual sugar to add balance. Granny smith apples to close