You’ve heard us say this many times before, but it bears repeating: when it comes to integrity, quality and value in the bottle, few of the mainstream Champagnes houses can lay a glove on the finest sparkling wines from further afield.
Our selection comprises six small-batch wines, handcrafted by passionate growers who tend their land and vines with passion and meticulous care—traits that shine through in the quality and personality of each bottle. All are farmed without the aid of systemic inputs, and many are either certified organic or biodynamic. Just as importantly, the wines are delicious and engaging from first sip to the last, and will cover the gamut of festive occasions, from Christmas lunch to a New Year celebration.
Each wine can be purchased as a single bottle or part of a mixed dozen across the IFW range (dozens attract a 10% discount). However, if you purchase our Grower Fizz six pack, your price is $328—that’s 12% off the retail price.
Domaine Chermette Crémant de Bourgogne Brut NV
This cracking dry sparkling wine is 100% Chardonnay from a single parcel of vines just north of the Chermette cellars at a place called Le Bois-d’Oingt, in the south of Beaujolais. It’s a 2.5-hectare southwest-facing site on limestone/clay soil, just perfect for Chardonnay. The wine is aged for 18 months in bottle, minimum sulphur is used, the wine is not fined or filtered, and very little dosage liqueur is added (four grams per litre). Already the story is ahead of the vast majority of Champagne these days!
This shipment is a blend of 2018, 2019 and 2020 and is showing creamier, lemon-curd intensity and more length than previous bottlings—perhaps due to the low yields and warmer vintages involved. There’s well-pitched notes of pear, citrus, chamomile, toasted hazelnuts and subtle buttery brioche, while the palate is vinous and focused, balanced by stony acidity. We love the fine, airy bubbles in this wine as well as its fresh, sculpted energy and finesse. If you don’t know this wine, do yourself a favour: French sparkling wine this impressive and at this price does not grow on trees.
Jo Landron Brut Atmosphères NV
This Loire bubbles is a hand-harvested, estate-grown, biodynamic, naturally fermented, low-dosage fizz that shows up many conventional Champagnes for both quality and value. Topping off an impressive package is the marvellous label designed by legendary French illustrator, Michel Tolmer (of Mimi, Fifi and Glouglou fame).
Jo Landron is not a fan of using Muscadet’s Melon de Bourgogne for sparkling wine, preferring instead a blend of around 75% Folle Blanche (grown on sandy clay), with a balance of Pinot Noir (grown on gravelly soils). Vine age varies between 18 and 30 years. The yields are typically between 50 and 60 hl/ha—far lower than the average in Champagne. The base wines are fermented naturally and then go through a traditional second fermentation in bottle, where they remain for a minimum of 24 months. The dosage ranges from zero to a low five grams per litre (depending on the bottling). Moreover, the fruit for this cuvée is always from a single vintage.
This list of attributes sounds like the winegrowing and making approach of a top grower in Champagne, not a humble Muscadet producer! It's no surprise then that the result is a wine of impressive depth and complexity. Expect a super-mineral, earthy, rocky wine with waves of racy citrus and fresh nectarine fruit and lots of flinty, talc-like, salty complexity, then a delicious lick of smoky Pinot breadiness to close. This is simply one of the finest sparkling bargains going around.
2019 Domaine des Roches Neuves Bulles de Roche
We always have to do our absolute best not to make any dad jokes when reviewing this wine (translate the name and you’ll see why), yet nothing can distract us from how damn drinkable the wine is! From the stable of one of the Loire Valley’s greatest domaines, the fruit for this delicious sparkling comes from a range of biodynamic parcels in Saumur, alongside a vineyard in Le Puy-Notre-Dame (an appellation that’s only for red wines). It’s a blend of 90% Chenin Blanc, with the remainder split between Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay.
The fruit was picked quite late for sparkling—when ripe and full of character—then whole-bunch pressed and naturally fermented in a mix of stainless steel and old barrels. In the bottle, the wine was then aged for around 18 months on lees before being disgorged with no additions (zero dosage). In short, it’s a Saumur méthode traditionelle—à la Thierry Germain.
It has all the character, deliciousness and class that would put 90%-plus Champagnes to shame! Expect a deep, yet super-mineral and chalky white, with waves of apple pie, meadow flowers and lemony liveliness, and a driven, saline and straw-noted, bone-dry finish. A joy to drink, with texture, length and gravitas to back it up.
2018 Garagiste Cuvee de Coeur
When it comes to the great sparkling wines of the world, Barney Flanders knows his onions, and with a palate that likes a little Blanc de Noirs, it’s no surprise that he turned to Merricks Pinot Noir as the source. Garagiste’s first harvest for a sparkling base took place roughly two weeks before the Merricks vineyard table wines, Barney picking with both depth of flavour and freshness in mind. In the shed, fruit was slowly whole-bunch pressed directly to old barriques for a wild ferment with no temperature control. Post-primary it was kept on full solids for eight months.
This is the third disgorgement from the generous vintage of 2018 (08/2022) and it has spent 46 months on lees. The extended aging on lees has contributed weight and concentration to this exceptional sparkling—and has also warranted a low dosage of only one gram per litre. Clean, floral and red-fruited, it is utterly reminiscent of true blanc de noirs styles with the accompanying energizing acidity, abundant mineral tones and thirst-inducing close—a perfect aperitif style. There’s a touch of toasty richness, adding weight and fleshy texture to the buoyant and mineral feel. This is a terrific wine, with far more sophistication than you might expect at this price.
2018 Meadowbank Blanc de Noirs
Given his celebrity with the Meadowbank and Dr Edge labels, some may not know that when it comes to sparking wine, winemaker Peter Dredge holds a cast-iron curriculum vitae. Immediately before his partnership with Meadowbank’s Gerald Ellis, Dredge had spent five years as the leading man at Bay of Fires and House of Arras. Before that, there was a long stretch at Petaluma under the tutelage of Brian Croser. It was here the young winemaker first developed a passion for sparkling wine. So it stands to reason that when Peter Dredge puts his name to a sparkling wine, you can expect something special.
Sourced from a northeast-facing block on a rolling five-degree slope that provided the desired balance between ripeness and acidity, the grapes were whole-cluster-pressed before fermenting and aging in used French oak for three months. It was then set to bottle and finally disgorged with two grams per litre dosage in late 2021.
This is precise, sculpted and packed with energy, perfumed red fruits and the nuance of sous bois. Expect a wine of pure and vibrant flavour, impressive detail, and an elegant Pinot-driven finish.
2021 Voyager Estate Sparkling Chenin Blanc
As you might expect, Voyager’s foray into the sparkling arena has class plastered all over it. Perhaps surprisingly however—given this producer’s enviable reputation with Chardonnay—it was crafted entirely from Chenin Blanc (drawn from Voyager Estate’s Weightmans Block 1). This patch of Chenin was selected due to its early ripening characteristics, which result in full flavour development at low sugar levels and with excellent natural acidity.
Hand-harvested, the fruit was gently whole-bunch pressed and settled overnight before fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Made using the traditional Champagne method, following a short maturation in tank the wine was bottled in June. It remained on lees until February 2022 when it was disgorged with a light dosage. A lighter style that would work beautifully as an aperitif and a foil for seafood, think fresh citrus and green apple, with elegance and complexity from time spent on lees. Cheninpagn