Apogee Deluxe 2017

The superb quality of sparkling wines from Tasmania is now one of the worst kept secrets in the world of wine. Andrew Pirie knows Tasmania better than anyone, having sought the finest terroirs on the Island since the early 1970s. He was the man behind the legendary Piper’s Brook wines. With Apogee, he is focusing on the best of the best and his sparklers are world class (and great value in comparison to what you need to pay for Champagne of similar quality, though of course the wine styles are different). The latest is a blend of 61% Pinot Noir, which certainly shows, and 39% Chardonnay. The grapes are whole bunch pressed, undergo oxidative handling and then the wine spends 47 months on lees. The disgorging date is shown on the bottle, a welcome innovation we are seeing more frequently. 

Deep gold/bronze in colour, the nose offers hazelnuts, florals, quince, gentle red fruits, freshly baked breads, spices and stonefruit notes. This is bright, with good length and some biting citric acidity with a creamy texture. A lovely sparkler.