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2016 RIKARD Cuvée
Our first RIKARD sparkling wine release!
This cuvée is a 50:50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, made in a traditional “grower style” from fruit picked in the 2016 vintage.
It has a slightly riper spectrum of fruit flavours with many layers of complexity gained from 12 months barrel ageing and lees stirring, wild yeast fermentation, a portion of malolactic fermentation and from extended bottle age en tirage.
Dosage at disgorgement was with zero sugar. We did however add a very small amount of Armagnac and Fino sherry at the end for yet more layers of interest.
This is a sparkling which can be enjoyed cold and as an aperitif, but we’re enjoying it slightly warmer, in a larger glass and once the bubbles have dissipated a little.
105 in stock
Description
Colour: Pale straw with a fine bead.
Nose: Melon, pear and citrus fruit aromas up front, followed by a hint of nuttiness and straw. Toasty lees characters emerge once the bead dies down and the wine warms up. Lovely complex nose and a hint of aldehyde.
Palate: A dry palate with lovely limey acidity. The mid palate is fleshed out by 4 years on lees, adding a toasted bread flavour and chewy texture. Fruit characters are as described on the nose but with some jasmine and a salty minerality in amongst them. The wine finishes savoury and nutty with a touch of phenolic grip.
Winemaking notes:
- Picked by hand late Feb 2016 into 10kg baskets
- 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
- Chilled overnight then pressed cold.
- Long, slow, gentle press cycle, extracting approximately 525L juice per tonne of fruit.
- Settled overnight in tank then racked to barrel
- Allowed to warm naturally before wild yeast fermentation kicking off spontaneously.
- Fermentation in old French oak barriques with lees stirring every few weeks for 12 months.
- Tiraged May 2017
- 54 Months on lees (Disgorged Nov 2021)
- Dosed with a touch of Fino Sherry and Armagnac at disgorgement.
