 |
Helen's Hill Blanc de Noirs Sparkling 2009 Yarra Valley Region Victoria 750m;l x 12
Helen's Hill Blanc de Noirs Sparkling simply named Blanc de Noir (which is the French term meaning “white wine from red grapes”) this bubbly is made entirely from Pinot Noir grapes following the traditional French method.As with all of our premiere Helen’s Hill wines, the fruit quality must be exceptional before it makes it into a Helen’s Hill bottle. Helen's Hill Blanc de Noirs Sparkling fruit quality bar is set even higher in the case of making a vintage bubbles which is why we do not make one every year.Helen's Hill Blanc de Noirs Sparkling provides us with the right quality fruit to dust off the label and start the long process of creating this beautiful sparkling wine.It is a slow journey. The grapes used for our bubbles were picked early, when sugar levels are lower and acid levels higher. The first fermentation begins in the same way as any wine by converting the natural sugar in the grapes into alcohol. This produces the base wine. This wine is not very pleasant by itself, being too acidic.After primary fermentation (in tank), the wine is then bottled and a second alcoholic fermentation occurs in the bottle. This second fermentation is induced by adding several grams of yeast and several grams of sugar. At this time the wine bottle is capped, the bottle is then riddled (turned on a regular basis), so that the lees settles in the neck of the wine bottle. After the required aging (in our case 3 years), the neck is then frozen, and the cap removed. The pressure in the bottle forces out the lees, and the bottle is quickly corked with a genuine cork keeping all of the bubbles inside.We are extremely excited with the result. Lovely fresh Pinot Noir flavours combine with biscuity/bready characters from extended time on lees, zesty finish with firm acids on the back palate. Yarra Valley bubbles at their best.
|
|
