Winemaker Notes
Along with a bright green hue, this wine has a delicate and soft mousse. On the nose, attractive notes of bright citrus, fresh apples, brioche and cream. On the palate, the wine offers crisp apple pie and lime characters. It has a great drive and length with a balanced dosage.
Blend: 53% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir, 5% Pinot Meunier
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A methode traditionnelle, offering strawberry and berry biscuit, as well as a gently nutty edge. Bright berries on the palate. Nicely balanced, smooth and fresh. Drink now.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pale gold in color, this energetic bubbly from Tasmania’s Tamar Valley bursts with notes of bruised apple and honeysuckle, backed by baked bread characters. Vigorous bubbles on the palate prickle over the top of the fruit and elevated acidity. It lacks some textural weight to balance all that refreshment, and the finish is on the short side, but overall this is a classy, affordable traditional method sparkler from the Aussie state most famed for the style. Little Peacock Imports.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 53% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir and 5% Pinot Meunier, Clover Hill's NV Tasmanian Cuvee Methode Traditionnelle spends a couple of years on the lees, so there's an attractive, toasty nuance to the aromas, plus hints of roasted nuts, ripe apples and lemon zest. It's medium-bodied on the palate, almost creamy in texture, then finishes with focused citrus flavors and ample length.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Nestled into the tip of its southeastern coastline, Victoria is Australia’s smallest mainland state, second most populous and third largest wine producer. Victoria includes the cool regions of Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Geelong, made famous mainly by impressive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The more inland Heathcote and Bendigo lead the way for complex and textured, full-bodied reds. Rutherglen’s fortified wines compete among the best on the planet.