A tight, clean, crisp ‘fruit-forward’ Methode style with refreshing acidity
A strong flavour 'attack' showing a vibrant marriage of fruit & yeast influences
Perfect for any celebration!
De La Terre Hawkes Bay Cuvee II Methode Traditionnelle 2015
De La Terre Hawkes Bay Cuvee II Methode Traditionnelle 2015
Accolades
Awarded 92/100 Points
Bob Campbel, Master of Wine, Real Review, Nov 2017
Description
"100% Chardonnay, en tirage for two years with zero dosage. From a vineyard on Te Mata Peak, where the grapes are exposed by leaf plucking and picked only when those at the back of the bunches taste fully ripe. A riper style of sparkling wine with good richness and mouth-feel supported by tangy, green apple acidity" Bob Campbel, Master of Wine, Real Review, Nov 2017
The De La Terre Cuvee II Methode Traditionnelle is a crisp, fresh ‘fruit-forward’ Methode with obvious yeast notes and the minerality typical of our limestone terroir. Cuvee II (two) is actually a Blanc de Blanc or ‘White of whites’ (100% Chardonnay). The name ‘Cuvee II’ comes from the fact that the wines spends 24 months (or II years) on its yeast lees in the bottle prior to disgorging.
Following on from the warm, dry conditions of 2013 and 2014, 2015 was another fantastic Hawkes Bay vintage. Following a typical Spring, January and February were exceptionally hot and dry in 2015. Despite three significant rain events and Tropical Cyclone Pam causing some anxiety, all passed through Hawkes Bay without any real trauma. Most rain was followed by cool southerlies which helped to dry out the vineyards relatively quickly. As always, the sloping terraces of De La Terre's elevated Hill Country Estate vineyard, suffered less from these rain events than vineyards down on the flats. The higher elevation of Hill Country also means De La Terre's grapes here are typically 10-14 days behind in maturity resulting in lower pH and tougher skins, which tend to provide a natural botrytis resistance and helping these vineyards 'ride-out' the typical March/April rain events. The key to success in the vineyard was to wait for the hard/green flavours from the berries at the backs of the bunches (berries shielded from the sun and warmth) to ripen to a suitable level but still retain a firm acidity.
Grapes were hand harvests from selected low-yielding vines, in an early harvest to limit the aromatic fruit level and ‘trap’ the firm acidity necessary for this style. In the winery the juise primary fermentation was in stainless steel at elevated temperatures and a special strain of Champagne yeast. This fermentationa saw 100% Malo-lactic fermentation, with 24 months on yeast in bottle (tirage). Riddled by hand and manually disgorged at de la terre, with zero dosage (no sugar addition) at disgorging. Bottled on site at the De La Terre Estate, each bottle is hand-labelled and individually hand numbered (this was a very small production with only 1860 bottles) .
De La Terre is a small family-owned boutique winery specialising in hand-made wines from an unusual mix of grape varieties. The wines are crafted by Tony Prichard, owner and winemaker, in the small earth-brick winery he built, west of Hastings. The name ‘de la terre’, literally meaning ‘of the earth,’ is a reference to both the vineyard soils and the earth brick construction used in the winery and cellar door.
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