2016 Huia Blanc de Blancs

Huia

New Zealand / Marlborough / Huia

Huia Blanc de Blancs is a sparkling wine made in the traditional method. The 2016 vintage was an excellent year in Marlborough. The grapes developed very good flavours and balance. This vintage is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.
The grapes were hand picked and whole bunch-pressed. Then the juice was racked off to barrels for fermentation. A warm fast ferment was encouraged. The base wines underwent full malolactic fermentation and were aged on gross lees in old French oak. The secondary yeast fermentation was conducted in the bottle and was aged on the yeast lees
for thirty two months. The bottles were hand riddled over a five week period before being disgorged on 15th and 16th October 2019.
The 2016 Huia Blanc de Blancs display an excellent fine bead and good bubble retention. The nose shows fresh citrus and lovely fresh baked bread characters. Light citrus and peach fruit retain freshness on the palate. This wine has a creamy fresh dry finish.

February, 2020

Bob Campbell

The Real Review

95 points

Vintage méthode from 100% chardonnay aged for 30-50 months on the lees in bottle. Fresh, crisp and appealing wine with freshly-baked bread, nut and citrus flavours. Refreshingly dry with a mouth-tingling finish. A delicious wine that's ready to be savoured, but no rush.

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About Huia

Huia Vineyards is a family-owned winery based in Marlborough's Wairau Valley. Claire and Mike Allan bought the initial vineyard land in 1990 and launched Huia in 1996, with a focus on handcrafting wines that express the richness of Marlborough grapes from the vineyard to the table. This quest for quality is represented by the Huia feather, a symbol of dignity, wisdom and elegance. The Allans are acutely aware of the need to preserve the magnificent environment that provides their unique wine. Huia is has been fully certified organic with BioGro New Zealand since 2011 and since 2009 has been in certification with Demeter Bio-Dynamics. Certified Organic

About

Mike and Claire Allan were studying winemaking in Adelaide in 1990 when they scored vintage positions in Marlborough, Mike at Cloudy Bay and Claire at Corbans. They immediately fell in love with the beauty and energy of the region, and couldn't resist when they saw an ad in the local paper for a block of land on an old apple orchard in Rapaura that “looked like heaven”. It took four years’ toil to get the apples out and the land ready for planting what has now become Huia. During that time, Mike deepened his relationship with the region at Cloudy Bay and Vavasour, while Claire went from Corbans to Lawson’s Dry Hills. By 1996, they had the estate up and running. “It was the vitality of the wines we tasted when we got to Marlborough that told us we were somewhere special,” says Mike, accounting for the motivation that got the place to the great shape it’s in today.