Australian born Kate Laurie is a classically trained (Champagne) winemaker and her skills are evident here. The blend is made up of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay selected from the high altitude (600m) southern facing vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. The base wine went through malo-lactic fermentation prior to extended ageing on lees in the bottle. The result is a finely textured and balanced sparkling wine showing excellent bead and subtle complexity. Flavours of fresh bread, granny smith apples and strawberries abound with a crisp hazelnut finish. The 2009 vintage recently won the best sparkling wine in Australia at the 2012 Sydney International show, and this vintage shows similar promise. Drink now to 2022.
About the Winery:
Deviation Rd
Hamish Laurie is the fifth generation of their wine family, where his great great grandmother was the first female winemaker in South Australia. He established Deviation Rd in 1999 drawing on fruit from their 40-acre family vineyard high in the hills of Lenswood. Kate (a Champagne trained winemaker) joined him in 2000 and they have been together ever since. The couple focuses on premium sparkling wines along with cool-climate still white and red offerings. They have numerous clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay planted on their 30 year old vineyard, which allow for a broad depth and scope of flavours in which Kate can weave her magic. Everything in the sparkling wine process is done by hand, including bottling, riddling, tirage and disgorging. This must be a labour of love because they truly produce some of the best Sparkling wines in Australia. It is fantastic to see such high quality sparkling wine that doesnโt come from a big company.
The Region:
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
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