Merry Christmas + a good Xmas sparkler
Firstly, I’d like to wish you a Merry Christmas wherever you are in the world – may your festive period be full of wines that live up to expectations (please cork Gods be nice).
As for something fizzy to drink, I can highly recommend this mornings highlight, the Clover Hill Cuvée Exceptionnelle Blanc de Blancs 2008, the latest rare release of a BdB from Clover Hill.
Clover Hill winemaker Karina Dambergs has expressed to me before how well suited the Clover Hill
site is too Chardonnay – indeed she prefers it to the Pinot Noir – and here that pristine Chardonnay fruit is the star.
Fruit is a big part of this wine actually, the varietal ‘fruitiness’ letting you know this is from Australia, not Champagne. That shouldn’t be a negative though and it certainly isn’t in this instance, the purity and perfect lines of cool Chardonnay grapes working to complete advantage giving creamy weight and appropriate mouthfeel without ever feeling fat or clumsy. It looks like a ripe year wine, the palate profile soft and full whilst still supported by stout acidity.
Admittedly this is no Larmandier Blanc de Blancs, but the form, the length and the acid balance is very smart, making for a wine of serious complexity and power to compete very nicely with the over-sweetened and raw industrial big house Champagne at the $55/bottle price point.
Highly recommended Australian fizz (and the 2008 Rosé is very good too – cracking ham wine).
Drink: 2012-2020+
Score: 18/20 93/100
Would I buy it? Yes.
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