THE ISLAND STATE of Tasmania finally separated from Australia’s land mass some 12,000 years ago. It is a cooler climate, and in parts much wilder than the rest of Australia. Its two main cities, Hobart and Launceston, are separated by a 3-hour car ride through the center of the island, and each are only about a 45-minute flight from Melbourne. Tasmania is home to some of the cleanest air in the world, the misunderstood Tasmanian Devil, and some of Australia’s finest produce. The western part of the island is largely wild, and separated from the east by a series of mountains: Mt. Ossa, the Great Western Mountains, Mt. Wellington, and the Derwent Highlands. Collectively, these formations create a rain shadow effect. While the western portion is thick with verdant forests, the eastern side is drier, and better suited to viticulture.

Vintage notes: A cool, wet year with delayed version and slow ripening saw sparkling vintage commence two weeks later than usual. The result was delicate yet concentrated fruit of great acidity and lower baumé. Chardonnays and chardonnay-dominant wines from 2011 reward patience, transforming from steely to poised and elegant.

Vineyard notes: All vineyard sources were established in the 1990s. They are all family-owned and painstakingly tended by hand (with the occasional assistance of guinea fowl for insect pest management).

Winemaking: Hand-picked, each individual parcel was gently pressed as whole bunches. Juices were then cold-settled and carefully racked prior to fermentation in stainless steel. Two of the three chardonnay parcels were blended to old, small format barrels before undergoing partial malolactic
fermentation. At disgorging, the liqueur d’expedition contained small additions of wild barrel-fermented, barrel-aged reserve chardonnay (2014 vintage) and older tiraged material (2010 vintage). Six years on lees, disgorged 11 August 2017. 4.5 g/L dosage, TA 8.52 g/L, pH 3.16.

Closure: Natural cork (Les Fleurs, Portugal, designed for wines cellared 12+ years)

ABV: 11.9%

LEGEND tasting notes: The nose demonstrates lees and bottle age with a roasted hazelnut and marzipan character, but stays remarkably fresh-fruited, with notes of orange oil, quandong (a native red peach), and white flowers. The palate is regal and bright, with a fine but soft effervescence, striking acidity, and a long finish.

Label design: The colors reflect the hues of the Tasmanian landscape, especially at dawn and dusk. The logo is based on Frieda and David’s stylized initials that appear on the back label.

Production size: 1482 bottles, individually numbered

Organic.