The fruit is selected from the considered, complex plantings of chardonnay on the Bizot vineyard in Summertown, Piccadilly Valley. The wine spends eight months in large-format oak and 88 months on lees before being disgorged. Elegance and grace with an understated power. Regal scents of fanciest nougat and sugar-dusted brioche, dashes of exotic spice, touches of preserved lemon, cinnamon and lime leaf. The palate is a cavalcade of lemon curd, light toffee apple, ginger, brine-like minerality and dashes of white balsamic, pleasingly uplifting the wine. Bubbles are tight and energetic; the finish is distinctly minerally and cool. Superb. A significant Australian sparkling wine that updates the upper echelon of the category.
96 points