Hester Creek Estate Winery Old Vine Brut 2020

Deborah Podurgiel WSET IV Candidate rated this wine as 94/100 with the following review:

Oh my... this Old Vines Brut 2020 from Hester Creek Estate Winery knocks it out of the bubble ballpark on elegance alone. A mouthful of delicious with a mouth filling mousse of dried apple, nutty, toasty, citrus zesty flavours and flinty mineral notes clean, crisp and toasty with an incredibly long finish, it is so good now. Buy it winery direct by the case! Tasted November 2023.

Produced entirely from Pinot Blanc grapes hand-harvested from the winery's estate Block 4 vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench, grapes were whole cluster pressed to retain the fresh primary fruit flavours and freshness in the juice which was then cold settled and racked prior to a cool fermentation at 13°C for 28 days. The 2020 Brut was re-fermented in bottle and spent 24 months en tirage. During that time, the wine aged on its lees giving it the leesy, creamy mouth feel for which Méthod Champenoise Bruts are known. It was disgorged on March 28th of 2023.

According to the winery, the 2020 vintage for both red and white grapes was a great one producing quality wines with the ability to age. "From a temperature perspective, the 2020 vintage was the 5th warmest in growing degree days in the last 2 decades and delivered exceptional quality grapes of a smaller berry size with abundant ripe fruit and beautifully enhanced flavour profiles."

Retasted July 1 2024. Hester Creek’s Old Vine Brut 2020 is still a mouthful of delicious, mouth filling and zesty with a persistent and lively mousse of ripe apple, nutty, toasty, citrusy flavours with that lovely flinty mineral finishing so long on the palate. Has a long life ahead of it. Chill and enjoy it through 2028. Recommend you do buy this vintage by the case (winery direct).