Residing in the leading vineyards of the Pipers River region of north east Tasmania comes a diamond of a sparkling wine from Clover Hill. Established by Taltarni in 1986 their sole purpose was to produce a premium sparkling wine.
Kicking things off in 1994 with its grand debut of their 1991 vintage of premium sparkling wine. Clover hill hasn’t looked back. It has impressed wine drinkers both locally and internationally with an uncomprising quality and illustrious house style.
Clover Hill 2001 is crafted according to traditional champagne methods, using classic sparkling wine grape verities – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. Spanning 21 ha of Tasmanian country side, Clover Hill’s vineyard comprises 13 ha of chardonnay, 6.76ha of pinot noir, and 1.24 of pinot meunier. All vines are now bearing fruit despite extensive retrellising taking place in 2002.
The sparkling wine quality is excellent, combining finesse with power and length. Matured on lees in bottle for three years, Clover Hill 2001 is prepared from a selection of components of individually selected reserve wines aged 2-3 years in French oak foudres helping to ensure the continuation of the fabulous unique personality that is the Clover Hill house style.
With a minimum of three years aging on lees and subsequent aging on cork for a bare minimum of six months, 2001Clover Hill is wonderfully crisp and complex and is drinking well now but will continue to develop its richness and complexity with careful cellaring over the next 5-8 years.
By now your mouth has begun heavily salivating, and the 2001 Clover Hill doesn’t disappoint. You get your prized bottle from the fridge and carefully unwrap the foil. The cage is slowly unwound and with your thumb on the cork you slowly twist the base of the bottle to release the coke and hear a familiar sound of a cork popping. The anticipation is high as Clover Hill is poured into your flute you notice the pale straw hue, with a persistent fine and vibrant bead and gently foaming moose. You wipe the drool from your cheek wondering how a wine could make you do this and with your excited smell and first eager sip you realize how.
The wonderful layers of complexity hit you like a speeding steam train its power from the superb fruit and yeast characters complementing them. Instead of that familiar soot smell from an old steam train there are hints of almond biscuit and toasty coconut characters originating from the aged reserve wine.
On the tracks, the wine is even better, the complexity from the nose present throughout the palate. Very elegant and rich making you feel like your in a grand gala ball completed by the wines length and breadth of flavors. Flavors of citrus and pear integrate beautifully with the bread dough from its time on triage. You cant believe it, its never ending with a delightfully long finish, 2001 Clover Hill exceeded all your expectations, you cant wipe the smile from your mouth as your senses have set out to party and keep going back for more.
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