Leconfield Sparkling Blanc de Blancs NV

Bright, tangy aromas of freshly cut, crisp heirloom apple, a spritz of lemon zest, and a hint of white peach. 100% Chardonnay, with a proportion of reserve wine aged in oak, adds a nutty complexity, and time ageing on lees offers up the nutty, frangipane, indulgence of almond croissant. In the mouth it is crisp and delicate with beautifully balanced fizz. Juicy pink grapefruit flavours tango with a chalky texture and fine sherbetty acidity. I tasted this in both a flute and a wine glass with the latter allowing the wine to open up and express more of those enticing pastry notes. When you think ‘Coonawarra wine’, sparkling may not be one of the first things to pop into your head, but then neither is Chardonnay. Cooling ocean currents and its southerly latitude offer conditions for excellent examples of both and this wine is a case in point. It’s rare to fine such complexity and elegance in Australian sparkling, especially at this price point.  

Nicole Bilson

Wine Critic at Winepilot

Nicole loves wine. So much so that she gave up a successful career in Pharmacy, perfected her spitting technique, and moved from sunny Queensland to the wine-drenched laneways of Melbourne. Stints in hospitality, wineries, retail, sales and marketing filled the next few years while Nicole built her knowledge and searched for the right path. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2016 and became a certified WSET Educator the following year. She now juggles a number of roles including teaching people about wine, curating wines lists for restaurants and bars, judging in Australian wine shows and, of course, writing. In 2016 she won the Negociants Working With Wine writing award and has since contributed to Gourmet Traveller WINE, Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Nourish Magazine.

Wine tasting