----- AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING -----
YELLOWGLEN VINTAGE PERLE ROSE 2008
A blend of 60% pinot meunier, 27% pinot noir and 13% chardonnay sourced from Henty, Tumbarumba and the Adelaide Hills, spending six years on lees in bottle. Stacked with crushed red fruits and spice aromas and flavours with a biscuity lees contact edge. Surely selling below the cost of production.
94 points, $24.99, cork, 12% alc
yellowglen.com 
BROWN BROS PINOT NOIR CHARDONNAY PINOT MEUNIER NV
The varieties were whole bunch-pressed, each kept separate, each taken through mlf before the final blend was made and bottled for the secondary fermentation. It has a fragrant bouquet and a long, focused palate, citrus and stone fruit to the fore, with background bready characters.
94 points, $26.99, cork, 12% alc
brownbrothers.
com.au
HARDYS SIR JAMES VINTAGE PINOT NOIR CHARDONNAY 2009
A blend of 56% pinot noir and 44% chardonnay from Tumbarumba and the Yarra Valley, with five years on lees in bottle. Bright straw-green, it is a distinguished wine in its price segment, honeyed, toasty and rich, its full finish calling for appropriate food.
93 points, $27.99, cork, 12.5% alc
hardyswines.com
DOMINIQUE PORTET YARRA VALLEY BRUT ROSE NV
This is a traditional method blend of 50% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier, held on lees for two years prior to disgorgement and a light dosage. A totally delicious and elegantly poised wine, with fresh red fruits dancing around on the bouquet and palate alike, the finish harmonious.
94 points, $28,
cork, 13% alc
dominiqueportet.com
SEPPELT SALINGER VINTAGE CUVEE 2011
Once the undisputed king of Australian sparkling wines, now on the rebound. A blend of 54% pinot noir, 36% chardonnay and 10% pinot meunier grown in Henty, Australia's coolest wine region. The low final alcohol is reflected in crunchy apple and lemon flavours mixed with notes of brioche. Further cellar time may pay big dividends.
93 points, $29.99, cork, 11% alc
seppelt.com.au
CHANDON AUSTRALIA BLANC DE BLANCS 2012
Sourced from the Upper Yarra Valley and the Whitlands plateau vineyard purchased from Brown Brothers, the Upper Yarra grapes picked Feb 24, the Whitlands grapes on Mar 20 - astonishing. Made using the traditional method, with three years on lees. Brilliant straw-green, this wine is a tour de force.
95 points, $40.99, cork, 12.5% alc
chandon.com.au
JANSZ TASMANIA SINGLE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2009
Small berries followed the cool, windy weather that afflicted southeastern Australia in spring but gave rise to particularly intense flavours. The grapes were whole bunch-pressed, with only free-run juice retained; fermented in French barriques, then five years on lees. It scores with its balance and freshness, acidity and white peach/citrus fruit in lockstep.
97 points, $65, cork, 12% alc
jansztas.com
HOUSE OF ARRAS BLANC DE BLANCS 2005
As with all House of Arras wines, traditional method. Whole bunch-pressed, with fermentation taking place on faintly cloudy juice; it then spent eight years on yeast lees. Gleaming yellow-gold, its luscious grapefruit/nectarine flavours are balanced to perfection by the brioche/biscuit notes and creamy mouthfeel from the long time on lees.
97 points, $79.99, cork, 12.5% alc
houseofarras.com.au
----- CHAMPAGNE -----
CHAMPAGNE JACQUESSON CUVEE NO. 738 GRAND VIN EXTRA BRUT NV
The only Champagne house to declare everything on the back label: blend (61% chardonnay, 21% meunier, 18% pinot noir), base vintage (2010), reserve wine (33%), etc. It is a compelling wine thanks to its harmony of flavours (citrus/toast/ spice) and the seriously low dosage almost passing without notice in the sheer power of the palate.
95 points, $95,
cork, 12% alc
cellarhand.com.au
BOLLINGER SPECIAL CUVEE NV
The doyen of English Champagne writers, Tom Stevenson, recently opened old wounds by lambasting Bollinger (for oxidation). I scratched my head, as did Tyson Stelzer. This is archetypal Bolly power, juggling very complex and ever moving flavours; 60% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay, 15% pinot meunier, mainly from Grand and Premier Cru, and up to four years on lees.
95 points, $100, cork, 12% alc
finewinepartners.com.au
CHARLES HEIDSIECK BRUT RESERVE NV
An assemblage of 80 Crus, with 40% reserve wines (50/50% chardonnay and pinot noir) and 60% from the 2007 vintage base wine, then spending five years on tirage. Small wonder it is one of the richest, most opulent NVs, overflowing with creamy, figgy, brioche flavours, magically retaining freshness and balance. I love it.
95 points, $100, cork, 12% alc
robertoatley.com.au
VEUVE FOURNY & FILS VERTUS BRUT BLANC DE BLANCS PREMIER CRU 2008
Veuve Fourny has taken full advantage of the best vintage of the decade, 100% tank-fermented, some mlf, and a very low dosage of 4g/l; six years on tirage. Brilliant straw-green, this has exceptional intensity to its classic white flower bouquet; there's grapefruit, spice and sparkling-bright acidity on the prodigiously long, cleansing palate.
96 points, $110,
cork, 12% alc
debortoli.com.au
VEUVE CLICQUOT VINTAGE BRUT 2004
Big investments and visionary winemaking by Dominique Demarville have produced maximum results for Veuve Clicquot. This blend of 62% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay and 8% pinot meunier has perfect poise and balance between white peach and brioche; even more striking is the freshness and bite to its lingering finish.
96 points, $118,
cork, 12% alc
moet-hennessy-collection.com.au
POL ROGER VINTAGE BRUT 2004
For decades one of Australia's darlings, and mine too. The usual Pol blend of 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay, it spent eight years on tirage. Gleaming straw-green, it has remarkable drive, intensity and freshness to its white stone fruits, grilled cashews and spices, the aftertaste endless, the future in bottle almost as long.
97 points, $130,
cork, 12.5% alc
negociantsaustralia.com
LOUIS ROEDERER VINTAGE BRUT 2008
Winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon spent years in Tasmania for the Roederer-Heemskerk joint venture. His return to Champagne saw estate vineyards increase to 235ha and a second winery built. This 80% pinot noir, 20% chardonnay wine is built for the ages, soaring with purity and intensity, racy grapefruit and apple flavours interwoven with silvery acidity.
96 points, $135,
cork, 12% alc
redandwhite.com.au
CHAMPAGNE TAITTINGER BRUT MILLESIME 2008
Had Taittinger's upcoming 1996 Comtes de Champagne arrived in time for the tasting, it is possible this wine might have missed out. But this is a compelling example of Taittinger at its vintage brut best, with beautiful balance, shape and profile, fruit and acidity in perfect alignment on its long and languid palate; decades to go.
97 points, $160,
cork, 12.5% alc
mcwilliams.com.au
POL ROGER VINTAGE BLANC DE BLANCS 2008
This 100% Cote des Blancs Grand Cru demands inclusion, notwithstanding my tasting note finishing "just a baby". Bright green-straw, it has exquisite freshness and balance, the bouquet filled by scents of white flowers, the palate with pink grapefruit in a glittering necklace of acidity. Will fill you with joy tonight, wonderment five years hence.
97 points, $160,
cork, 12.5% alc
negociantsaustralia.com
DOM RUINART BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT 2004
It is appropriate that Ruinart should have 8km of deep limestone cellars, for this accidental child of Moet Hennessy is seldom noticed or understood. This wine purrs like an idling Rolls-Royce engine, with a layered richness in the wake of deliberate, funky reduction notes on the bouquet.
98 points, $312,
cork, 12.5% alc
moet-hennessy-collection.com.au
BILLECART-SALMON NICOLAS FRANCOIS BILLECART BRUT 2002
Billecart remains the NV Rose of choice for most Champagne aficionados, but this wine is in another universe. The explosion of citrus, spice and brioche takes your breath away, its rocket-propelled drive through the finish even more so. Twenty years to go? Its ancestors say so.
98 points, $350,
cork, 12.5% alc
domainewine
shippers.com.au
DOM PERIGNON VINTAGE ROSE 2004
Just arrived in Australia, after 10 years on tirage. Bright salmon-pink, it is 60% pinot noir, 40% chardonnay. The bouquet is an entrancing mix of wild strawberries and spices, the palate a gloriously vibrant replay of the bouquet, framed by crystalline acidity. Expensive? Not when compared to a Grand Cru Burgundy.
98 points, $549,
cork, 12.5% alc
moet-hennessy-collection.com.au
67 Australian Sparklings submitted
Modern sparkling wines are a far cry from yesteryear when they were made from bits and pieces left in the winery. Now they're built from the ground up, with dedicated vineyard blocks, and given more time on lees. Expensive, but the payback is the quality.
73 champagnes submitted
The weakening of the Australian dollar has led to some increase in prices, but Champagne remains the most underpriced of all the great wines of France. You can't buy good Bordeaux or Burgundy for less than $95 to $160 a bottle, the price of nine of the 12 Champagnes selected.
BEST OF THE REST
Petaluma Croser Sparkling NV 95, $25
Yarrabank Cuvee 2010 95, $38
Stefano Lubiana Grande Vintage 2007 96, $55
Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV 91, $50
Champagne Franck Bonville Grand Cru Avize Millesime Blanc de Blancs 2009 93, $75
Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV 95, $80
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose NV 96, $135
Bollinger Rose NV 97, $160
Dom Perignon Vintage 2005 97, $250
Krug Grande Cuvee Brut NV 98, $279