Margaret River, WA, Australia
RRP$50
I really enjoyed the Blanc de Blanc of Idee Fixe, so the expectations were high for the Brut Rose. The fruit for this came from southern Margaret - mostly Chardonnay with a dash of Pinot Noir. Disgorged in December 2020, so it is a fairly young bottle. Methode traditionelle style, some ageing in French oak and spent 15+ months on lees, with 6g/l of residual sugar.
The wine itself is clear as crystal and has a beautiful, polish copper colour. It is incredibly pretty to look at and the mousse absolutely fills your mouth. The nose is powerful, with white strawberries, peach, sea spray, brioche and flint coming through. As it warms up in the glass some sweet aperitivo and ruby grapefruit come through as well. There is candied ginger, dried petals and yellow peach on the palate, but is dominated by more savoury characters, like hazelnut, ground cardamom and prosciutto fat. Don't expect a shy thing - while this is just as rich as the Blanc de Blanc, it is a much more confident wine. It is is assertive, powerful and overt with none of the nuance that I found so charming in the Blanc. I may prefer a more subtle style, but this will definitely find some fans.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Have it with: Delicate, fatty flavours - think duck, salmon or creamy cheeses.
Classic, weird or funky? Classique
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