Jansz Premium Cuvee Brut NV Tasmania

Jansz Premium Cuvee Brut NV is a wine made with grapes from the Tamar  Valley in the heart of the Pipers River region in north eastern Tasmania.  Red basalt soils and a cool climate moderated by the proximity of Bass Strait, means the vineyards are ideal for allowing grapes to ripen slowly and develop the lingering acidity essential to produce a premium sparkling wine.
Jansz was Tasmania’s first sparkling wine to be made according to the traditional méthod champenoise, the winemaker since 2001 is Natalie Fryar, and the blend of grapes used  is 53% Chardonnay and 47% Pinot Noir. The grapes come from various vineyard plots and are vinified separately until the wines go through secondary fermentation in bottles and are aged on yeast lees for as long as possible; the average tirage of the final blend is 2 years.
This sparkling wine had fine swift bubbles which prickled in the mouth and had persistence. Aromas of white flowers, biscuit and apple are followed by apricot, lemon, apple and generally fresh well balanced acidity, a hint of nutty biscuit generally adds another dimension to this wine, it has an elegance not often found in New World sparklers maybe due to its time on the lees or the 100% Malolactic Fermentation and the final assemblage! The length is fresh, appley and has a minerality that was not apparent initially on the palate. At £12.95 from Slurp - a bargain!
Score : 87

Tasmania
Tasmania is the most southerly point in the world involved with grape growing and wine making - and the thing that is most surprising is the many microclimates that exist on this island with its maritime climate. The west coast is wet, cold and has rainforest scenery with mountainous terrain, the east coast is very dry ( due to the rainshadow from the mountains) and the north coast also has a good climate for grapes, the soil is good for grape production - overall a great place for cool climate grapes! Pinot Noir is the most planted grape, with Chardonnay following in second place with half its weight per annum. The land is being snapped up by many Australian producers as well as international big producers - so watch this space.

The wine surplus much talked about in Australias mainland does not esist here - they can sell everything they produce ( the level of production is about 3% of the Australian production) and the quality is high, little gets exported .