Chandon Cuvée 205
CLUB PRICE: $44.00/ BOTTLE
A step sideways for sparkling wine style, this single-vineyard wine was fermented and aged in 205 litre French oak barrels. These size of barrels are specific to the French region of Champagne and are still used by some Maisons today, although the advent of stainless steel has been something of a revolution in wine storage since the 1960s. The “regular” French small barrels are typically 228 litres (in Burgundy) and 225 litres in Bordeaux. The 205-litre size is specific to Champagne because the traditional Champagne press was scaled to hold 4,000 kg of grapes, which would yield 2050 litres of cuvée juice, exactly ten of these barrels.
TASTING NOTES
TASTING NOTES
Yellow hues with flecks of green, very fine bead and persistent mousse. Exotic aromas of poached pear and nectarine, overlaying spiced nougat, cinnamon and fresh toast characters derived from age and time on yeast lees.Poached pear and nectarine fruits on the palate with hazelnut and toasted brioche characters. The palate has very fine bubbles and long, tight acidity.
WINEMAKING
WINE MAKING
Harvest was later in March for this more elevated, cool Upper Yarra vineyard. The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes from this site were pressed and fermented separately to ensure the unique characteristics of each parcel of fruit were retained. Each individual cuvée was then transferred to small oak barrels for primary fermentation. Following this fermentation, the wine was aged in these same barrels for 9 months. Time in barrels allows for gentle oxidation and a different impact on flavour and maturity. Following tirage and secondary fermentation, Chandon Cuvee 205 Upper Yarra Valley 2015 spent over 48 months ageing on yeast, an essential part of the méthode traditionnelle process, allowing the fruit, oak and oxidative elements to fuse seamlessly.
FOOD PAIRING
Food Pairing Notes
Chargrilled chicken, veal ravioli with burnt butter and fried whitebait all pair well.
VINEYARD
This vineyard is in the Upper Yarra Valley at the edge of the regional boundary. Curiously, this vineyard is not only a very cool location due to elevation, but also planted on granitic soils, which are unusual in the Yarra Valley. Weathered ancient granite rocks form sandy soils with limited fertility, which in turn causes vines to deliver highly concentrated flavours due to long, slow ripening.
WINE SPECS
VINTAGE
Vintage
2015
VARIETAL
PH
pH
3.15
ALCOHOL %
Alcohol %
12.5
COLOUR
