2015 PUNT ROAD CHARDONNAY PINOT NOIR (SPARKLING)

“Honeycomb, brioche and hazelnut kernel. Very fine bead, elegant, harmonious, zing of lemon zest to finish.”

  -Tim Shand, Winemaker

Vintage

The base wine is a blend of 86% chardonnay (Block 12, clone I10V1) and 14% pinot noir (Block 13, clone 115) hand harvested in the early morning from our estate vineyard. 2015 was an excellent vintage for sparkling fruit, with vigorous canopies and mild conditions. Crop levels were slightly below average, leading to fruit intensity and excellent acid levels.

Winemaking

The base wine is a blend of 86% Chardonnay (Block 12, clone I10V1) and 14% pinot noir (Block 13, clone 115) hand harvested in the early morning from our estate vineyard. We took a very different approach to picking than previous years (earlier) and lots more chardonnay proportionately, Plenty of Malolactic Fermentation as well, and a bit of oak. Light press, followed by a warm ferment with plenty of grape solids. The wine has marine aromas, heaps of umami, and a bit of salt. It is our finest vintage sparkling yet – mild days and cold nights throughout the summer of 2015 could be at play here. It is a fresher, more consistent wine as a result. The 3 years on lees have flown by. The wine was tiraged in July of 2016 and spent three years in bottle on lees in an underground cellar at a temperature of around 10 degrees C. It was disgorged in August of 2018.