The Vino Boy

Wow!  Long name, amazing vino: “Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir South Eastern Australia Brut Cuvée”. This third offering in my four-part holiday series is another non-vintage sparkler in the moderately priced range of ~$14/btl.

This lonely bottle was hiding behind other unrelated bottles of Brut far away from the main display of Champagnes and sparkling vinos.  I adopted it immediately and checked the proper section for pricing and found none.  Whatever!  I took it to the till expecting over $25, and was pleasantly surprised at its ~$14 tag. Cha-ching!

Such a heavy bottle with a very deep punt, I made sure to be in complete control when this baby was uncorked. De-foiling, and releasing the cage was done with extra care so not to jarre the bottle to spontaneously popping; the pressure inside the bottle was palpable as I CAREFULLY coaxed the cork into motion.  POW!  This is the first bottle that frothed over upon opening…

Into a chilled glass, the mousse was more reserved than others and subsided just as carefully to present a deeply golden wine crackling with life. The bubbles were modestly-sized and pulsed from many points around the glass. Baked apple flavors dominate the entire experience from start to finish with an attractive complexity that hits mid-palate. Finish flattens out a little but still urges the next sip.

Mature, creamy and fresh, this is definitely a pleasing sipper with food or toasting solo.

Cheers!

~tvb

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**image credit – The winery, festively adorned with holly. Used under Fair Use provisions for review and critique.