Chandon Vintage Sparkling Brut 2015

Winemaking Notes

"Getting to know the vineyards in more detail and harvesting with more accuracy. This is the new quarry of winemaker Dan Buckle. This wine has Strathbogie and Whitlands fruit in it for the most part," notes Mike Bennie. Vintage Brut is the heart and soul of Chandon. For 2015, the grapes came exclusively from Chandon's Strathbogie Ranges and Whitlands Plateau vineyards with a sentimental sprinkling from the original Yarra Valley vineyard to add a little extra seasoning. A combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sourced from the Chandon estate vineyards in Strathbogie, Whitlands and Coldstream, the grapes are vinified separately to retain their individuality and then aged on lees for over 3 years. These vineyards bring cool nights that help tease out the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes' natural flavours, leaving Vintage Brut with aromas of grapefruit, plum, praline and fresh toast. The extended lees ageing develops the wine's generous yeasty characters and underlying richness, whilst maintaining great vitality and fruitiness. In Chandon's not so humble opinion, Chandon Vintage Brut 2015 is traditional winemaking and local know-how at its very best, with the personality of each season shining through these wines as only a southern-hemisphere sun can. The result is an elegant wine with a real point of difference in comparison to the richness of other wines from Chandon on current release.

Vintage Conditions

The 2015 vintage in Victoria's elevated cool climate regions provided excellent conditions for sparkling wine production, resulting in wines with concentrated fruit character and exceptional balance. The Strathbogie Ranges and Whitlands Plateau vineyards, along with a sentimental sprinkling from the original Yarra Valley vineyard, benefited from cool nights that helped tease out the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes' natural flavours. These ideal growing conditions allowed winemaker Dan Buckle to harvest with more accuracy, getting to know the vineyards in more detail. The cool climate conditions resulted in grapes with delicate, yet quite intense flavours, as well as the natural acidity essential for premium sparkling wine production. The 2015 vintage has proven to be an exceptional year, with wines showing excellent development after over 3 years on lees. This vintage is drinking beautifully now, displaying a quasi-rich bouquet with faint honeycomb, quince, yellow flesh stone fruits, dried apple and bread yeast aromas. The palate has a little richness but retains great vitality and fruitiness, with green apple laced with honey-drizzled brioche, ripe stone fruits, generous yeasty characters, rolling ample flavours and a crunchy, vibrant bubble. The personality of the 2015 season shines through as only a southern-hemisphere sun can, creating a vivacious glass of fizz with tiny bubbles and delicate fresh strawberries, apple blossoms and kumquat blossoms. An elegant wine with lots going on, including a sense of high quality.