Chandon Pinot Gris Cuvee 2019
Although Pinot Gris is one of the seven permissible grape varieties in Champagne, it is rarely used. This is a first for Chandon Australia, a sparkling wine made from Pinot Gris. Fresh, bright and fruity, this wine shows youthful exuberance and charm.
TASTING NOTES
TASTING NOTES
Pale straw in colour with small, fine bubbles.
Nashi pear, jasmine blossom and lemon tart aromas with subtle biscuit notes in the background.
A bright, refreshing and delicate palate with soft acidity and juicy fruit characters.
WINEMAKING
WINE MAKING
Pinot Gris grapes from the Whitlands Plateau vineyards were picked slightly earlier than picking for table wine. This ensured the bright, natural acidity balanced the delightful fruit characters in the final sparkling wine. Several parcels of Pinot Gris were pressed and fermented separately to ensure the unique characteristics of each batch were retained. Each cuvée was then selected for its flavours, balanced structure and palate length – all essential for any Chandon sparkling. Following tirage and secondary fermentation, Chandon Whitlands Plateau Pinot Gris Cuvée 2018 spent more than 12 months aging on yeast, an essential part of the méthode traditionnelle process. This length of tirage aging was chosen specifically to retain vibrant, generous fruit flavours in a new twist on sparkling wine style for Chandon.
FOOD PAIRING
Food Pairing Notes
Pairs delightfully with apple tarte tatin or fromager d’affinois.
OTHER NOTES
Other Notes
The season was the third consecutive clean and balanced season following 2016 and 2017. Rainfall during spring was good and flowering went well, despite the rainfall in December, delivering moderate crop levels. Cool nights during February and March led to harvesting the Pinot Gris in mid-March.
VINEYARD
As one of the coldest vineyards sites in Australia, the Whitlands Plateau benefits from altitude as well as from the cool air drainage from the plateau itself.
WINE SPECS
VINTAGE
Vintage
2018
VARIETAL
Varietal
Pinot Gris
PH
pH
3.31
ALCOHOL %
Alcohol %
12.5
COLOUR
Production
White