2009 Huia Vintage Sparkling Brut

Huia

New Zealand / Marlborough / Huia

Huia Brut is a sparkling wine made in the traditional method. The 2009 vintage was an excellent year in Marlborough. The grapes developed very good flavours and balance. This vintage is 58% Chardonnay and 42% Pinot Noir.
Winemaking:
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 three years. The bottles were hand riddled over a five week period before disgorging.
Tasting Note:
The 2009 Huia Brut displays an excellent fine bead and good bubble retention. The nose shows fresh citrus and lovely fresh baked bread characters. Light strawberry and peach fruit with bright citrus flavours retain freshness on the palate. This wine has a creamy fresh dry finish.

Cameron Douglas MS

The Shout NZ

96 Points

Rich, complex, integrated and alluring bouquet of wild white fruits, honey and lees autolysis; hints of ginger laced apple, wild strawberry and peach. Full, rich creamy mousse, dry, complex and flavour packed wine, biscuity, farmers market fresh bread moments, long and crisp finish.

January, 2014

Raymond Chan

Raymond Chan Wine Reviews

18.5/20

58% Chardonnay and 42% Pinot Noir, hand-picked and WBP, fermented warm in seasoned French oak with 100% MLF, the wine spending 3 years on lees in bottle after secondary fermentation. This is 12.5% alc. and carries 6 g/L dosage. Bright, light golden-hued straw-yellow colour with some depth, lighter edged. The bead is fine and very persistent. This has a full, broad, but intense bouquet with integrated and complex aromas of white and yellow florals and stonefruits, bready, yeasty autolysis and light, nutty aldehydes, along with oak toastiness and reduction hints. Dry to taste, refined flavours of floral fruits are entwined with nutty, bread-yeast notes. Complexing secondary yeast extract and oak toast nuances add to the interest. The mouthfeel is tight and taut, very dry and the very fine-textures and phenolics suggest a mouthwatering austerity. Soft effervescence and crisp acidity provide good liveliness and balance to the sweetness of the dosage on the long, sustained finish. This is a very refined, elegant and taut method traditionnelle with integrated complex flavours of stonefruits, nuts and yeast. Serve as an aperitif and with canapés over the next 3+ years.

Standard Bottle Out of Stock

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.