You’ve gotta hand it to Printhie, in 2011 they did not have a sparkling wine program, but winemaker Drew Tuckwell decided they needed one, so he visited and studied Champagne for inspiration, and boy did he ever get some. This 63% Chardonnay and 37 % Pinot Noir has a 2% Pinot Noir dosage, which is where the colour comes from. It spends 6 years on lees to get a lively toasty-ness with a raspberry lift – there’s great tension between the acidity, the bready and the orange–raspberry fruit notes … a generous mouthfeel, great length and a finish reminiscent of raspberry / strawberry filled croissant, minus the sweetness of course.
Rating: ****+