Winemaker Notes
Lush yet thirst slaking – the Bianco Pet Nat this year goes to another level in flavor and texture. Ripe tropical fruits burst from the glass on the nose, while the palate leans into the citrus spectrum – preserved lemon, briny saltiness. With a touch of residual sugar left once the ferment gave out in bottle, the fizz is gentle while the lemon curd creaminess envelopes your palate and provides satisfying length and generosity. With acid for days, this wine performs a true disappearing act from the bottle.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Quite the powerhouse region thanks to its proximity to the Murray River (and thus irrigation potential), Riverland produces over half of South Australia’s total annual harvest. While its warm Mediterranean climate promotes large volume production, many smaller, premium producers abound. Australia’s usual suspects—Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet—do great but a continuing local push for heat-loving Italian varieties like Vermentino and Nero d’Avola promises future diversity.