IWC Taste of Gold - Sparkling & Rose

IWC Taste of Gold event, Lord's Cricket Ground Nursery Pavillion, 29 June 2011.

All wines shown in this event were gold medal and/or trophy winners from the 2011 International Wine Challenge. I tasted through 57 wines on the day and understandably, the quality of the wine on show were seriously high. Below are short notes on sparkling and rose wines which were particularly notable.

Wines are in no particular order; prices are guide retail price given by the suppliers.


2005 Champagne Penet-Chardonnet Millesime Extra-Brut
£34

No dosage, not only in this wine but across their entire range.
Nose is citrus, with tinge of toast. Palate is bracing with acidity, seriously fresh and zippy, nervy acid held in tension, great precision and focus. Lean, linear yet structured. Not for the faint hearted, yet joyful to drink nonetheless.

NV Champagne Ayala Brut Nature
£25

Another zero dosage wine.
Citrus zest on the nose. Palate is fresh and zippy, almost piercing with the bracing yet persistent acidity, slowly expanding to show the depth of fruit behind it. Theres is still some texture and development to this, not completely linear.

2000 Charles Heidsieck Millesime Brut
£40
Vintage Champagne Trophy

Classic Champagne nose - toast, yeasty and brioche all there, even a slight nuttiness. Palate is full, fat and wide acidity swishes around, good presence. Everything is together, no one element dominates, integrated and showing very nicely. A serious Champagne, very classy, drinking beautifully now.

NV Tesco Finest Premier Cru Champagne Brut (pictured right)
Tesco Wine. £18.99
Great Value Champagne under £22

Nose has the characteristic biscuit and toast; gentle mousse on the palate, restrained fruit. A mature style, carried well through the finish. Good value.

2010 Chalk Ridge Rose, Denbies Wine Estate.
£11.99

Grape variety is Rondo.
Vivid pink in colour. Plenty of red fruit on the nose, raspberry and strawberry dominates, which carries to the palate. Theres a small amount of sugar left in there, gives it nice body and fatness to it. Not the most complex, but its juicy and lush, very drinkable.

NV Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Rose Brut
£24.99

Made entirely of Pinot Noir; 4% still red PN mixed back in to achieve colour.
Mostly red fruit on the nose, slight toast. Great freshness and mousse, light and nimble, restrained fruit. Very drinkable, good example.