Georgette Sparkling Brut 2019
New Release
For information regarding previous vintages please contact the winery on info@foresterestate.com.au
Must be purchased in multiples of 6
| Vintage |
2019 |
| Grape variety | 100% Chardonnay |
| Oak maturation | None |
| Alcohol | 12.8% Alc/Vol |
| Release date | April 2023 |
| Colour |
Pale straw with green tinges |
| Aroma |
Rich with a complex bouquet. The wine opens with intense yeast autolysis characters of brioche and nougat, along with a slight ozone character reminiscent of oyster shell. There are also underlying characters of fennel, hay, apple and citrus with a hint of toastiness. |
| Palate | Long and rich with a creamy texture balanced by fine acidity. Rich autolysis characters of nougat and cream lead the way with underlying hay, fennel and citrus. |
| Food matches | Ideal as a match with aperitifs, seafood, cheese or lightly flavoured poultry |
| Peak drinking |
Upon release however will develop more complexity with a further 3-5 years. |
Viticulture
The Chardonnay grapes used in the production of this wine are sourced from contracted growers in the northern Margaret River region. We pick small parcels earlier than the remaining fruit used to make our still table wines, principally to maintain the higher natural fruit acidity necessary for quality sparkling wine. These small parcels are required to be handpicked to reduce
phenolic extraction from broken berry skins.
Winemaking
The Chardonnay fruit is gently pressed off skins with a series of press fractions going to separate holding tanks for later assessment. The juice is settled bright and fermented cold with a neutral yeast strain in stainless steel. No malolactic fermentation takes place, so as to obtain a finer, tighter acid structure. The wine was then bottled on the 24th October 2019 with a dose of active yeast and sugar (known as ‘tirage’) to encourage the secondary ferment. The bottle ferment lasts approximately six weeks after which the tirage sparkling wine rests in storage for three and a half years gaining complexity from contact with the yeast lees. When deemed to be balanced and with sufficient autolysis character, we send the bottles for riddling and disgorging where the yeast plug is removed and the cork inserted. This wine was disgorged on the 24th of March 2023.
Storage / Bottling
The unique nature of this sparkling wine is that bottling occurs as part of the winemaking process early in the wine’s life. In the
case of the Georgette, the final disgorging and packaging process occurs three and a half years after the wine is first put to bottle. Heavy
grade sparkling glass, stylish labeling and the traditional white hood of the Forester brand complete the elegant package.
