Central Otago Brut, NV

Pale lemon in colour with lemon curd, white peach, apple blossom and freshly baked brioche. Lovely balance and complexity, clean and crisp with a fine-beaded mousse and a bright acidity which carries the flavours into a lingering finish.

Meet the maker: Akarua

Region: Bannockburn, Central Otago – New Zealand

Grape(s): Pinot Noir (59%), Chardonnay (41%)

12.5% ABV / 750ml / Vegan / Vegetarian

Viticulture:

The grapes for the Brut come from four different vineyards.

In Bannockburn the 'Cairnmuir Road' and 'Felton Road Terraces' vineyards are planted on alluvial soils over schist and the average vine age is 22 years.

In Pisa the '25 Steps' and 'Murrel de Bettencor' vineyards sit on sandy loam soils over gravels.

The vineyard elevation ranges from 200-317 meters and all of the vines are trellised with a vertical shoot positioning system.

All of the grapes are hand harvested.

Winemaking:

The grapes from the separate vineyard parcels were whole bunch pressed and kept separate during vinification.

The juice was left to settle and then racked into French oak barriques (19%) and stainless-steel tanks for fermentation with a combination of native and inoculated yeasts.

Once malolactic fermentation was complete, the base wines, together with up to 15% of reserve wines were blended together. The blend was transferred to bottle with the addition of yeast and a precise amount of sugar to undergo the secondary sparkling fermentation.

The wine was then aged in bottle on the lees for a minimum of 18 months before riddling, disgorgement and labelling.