2019 Yarrabank Cuvée

A 67/33% chardonnay/pinot noir sparkling of 69/31% Yarra Valley/Pyrenees sourcing; four years on lees, 3.9g/L dosage. A bright gold with a tinge of green. A well-crafted wine with its bouquet of brioche, baked apple, citrus and lemon verbena. Good persistence on the chalky textured, flavoursome and well-balanced palate. Nicely poised and ready to drink, or, as the French would say, 'a point'.

This Chardonnay Pinot Noir combination spent four years on lees, imparting subtle secondary lees influences. The nose has a lemon rind and appley character whilst the fine, yet persistent palate displays a neat mix of bready citrus and spicy pear characters. A linear style with tremendous power through to its sustained finish.

This delivers satisfaction. It sits in that midway zone of sparkling wine between richer, toastier styles and those that lean into freshness, tight, frisky bubbles and crunch of acidity. The delivery here shows off some of the yeasty, savoury elements from ageing on lees and yet crunch of green apple, some vanilla cream notes for richness, a core of briny acidity to lift and draw the wine long. It’s a sparkling in a great zone.

Grey tinged light-mid straw colour, indicating black grapes in the mix. Nutty oak aromas come first, then nougat and malt, while the palate is rich and full, nicely dry and cleansing on the finish, with a good tannin grip that matches the concentrated flavour. Long carry: a seriously good wine that begs for food.

This well made 2019 Yarra Cuvée delivers a precise core of citrus pith and peel with a gentle touch of tropicals all well backed by complex nougat autolytic complexity. This is an attractive overall feel to the palate which has fleshed out with a creamy texture before tightening up on a zippy finish. Enjoyable now and for a little while longer.