2008

Johanne Ida Selma Blanc de Noir MD

Australia, South Australia, Barossa

$60 AUD

Release Price

2008-

Drink Window

ABV

3.24

pH

6.7

TA

7.8

RS

From The Winemaker

In 1997, Stephen and Prue embarked on a journey to handcraft an ultra-premium 100% sparkling wine from pinot noir, in addition to their dry table wine, and selected only the best fruit from specific clones and sites suited for this purpose at the Henschke Lenswood vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Purchased as an apple orchard in 1981, the 550m site offers higher rainfall and humidity at the right time of year, which together with the cooler temperatures provides ideal conditions for this cool-climate grape variety. The vineyard contains some of the oldest pinot noir vines in the Adelaide Hills.

Growing Conditions

Stephen and Prue Henschke, fifth-generation winemakers at the family cellars at Keyneton, selected Lenswood in 1981 as a vineyard site in the Adelaide Hills. At 550m, the Lenswood vineyards offer not only beautiful views over the traditional vine country but also higher rainfall and humidity at the right time of the year, cooler temperatures to retain high natural acidity, and still enough sunshine to fully ripen the grapes.

Nose

The complex nose is sweet and creamy, exhibiting lemon, stone-fruit and potpourri with nutty, toasty, yeast autolysis aromas; exotic with crème caramel hints.

Palate

A complex, full, rich and creamy palate with layers of spicy strawberry/raspberry
flavours; excellent intensity and great acidity carries through to a zesty finish. Excellent bead.

Appearance

Vivid pale gold with green hues.

Aging

The wine was subsequently bottle fermented and left on lees in bottle to age. With nearly 10 years of vintages on lees it seemed an appropriate time to look at a complex blend. Multiple vintages from 1997 to 2005 were blended in an assemblage-style blend in April 2008, as a mature disgorged non-vintage blanc de noir.