Miceli 2001 Mornington Peninsula Rose Methode Champenoise

I haven't tasted a more exciting sparkling wine or Champagne in years. And at a mere, ridiculous $15 a bottle I have NEVER offered a better value one. To get that price we had to "buy the lot" and I had absolutely no hesitation. The flavour complexity is mesmerising and yet it still, remarkably, has some youthful zing which combines to create a truly outstanding wine. Here are Tony's tasting notes, which I found particularly interesting as they help explain how this wine has been created. It IS methode champenoise after all.
Here are the Miceli tasting notes:

Winemaker: Anthony Miceli
Picked: 26/3/01
Tiraged: 10/1/02 (Cope Williams, Romsey, under supervision).
Disgorged: First disgorged June 2003, in batches, matured on lees until just prior to
despatch (recently disgorged).
Winemaking: Picked at much less than normal ripeness, to retain acid levels and aiming to
achieve the fine and delicate flavours that set Champagne apart from many Australian
sparkling wines. A blend was made of the classic varieties Pinot Noir (74%), Chardonnay
(13%), and Pinot Gris (13%). Part of the blend was processed as white base juice, and
part of this wine is from ripe Pinot Noir, crushed, then pressed after 12 hours skin contact
to extract pink colour. This juice for the base wine was fermented warm (25-27 deg C) to
maximise vinosity rather than fruitiness.
The wine was tiraged at Kilchurn (Cope Williams) and then disgorged after more
than 6 years maturation on lees, with enough ready for sale and the remainder to be
freshly disgorged as required.
Oak: Nil
Malolactic Fermentation: 100%
Analysis: Alc 12.5 % /vol, pH 3.00, TA 9.2 g/l Sugar (doseage) 6.0 g/l
Tasting Notes
This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris, fermented in this bottle,
with yeast contact of more than 18 months. The blend of varieties gives structure and
complexity to the wine.
The colour is a brilliant very pale salmon pink.
The palate is rich and flavoursome, with creamy and toasty yeast, pinot noir fruit,
great length, and a clean dry finish.
Cellaring:
The nature of methode champenoise is that the maturation takes place in bottle prior to
disgorging, at which stage the wine is ready for consumption. For those who like bottle
development in the wines this wine will continue to gain richness, as does a table wine,
over 5-10 years (but at the expense of its sparkling character).
Winemakers Comments :
This wine is aimed at reproducing the spectrum of flavours and palate structure of
sparkling wines from Champagne. We feel this wine is comparable in style and quality,
and altogether different from most sparkling wines made in Australia. This is a more full
bodied wine, with the contribution of riper pinot character, and definitely not at all sweet.

Our Price: $15 per bottle by the dozen

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