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 late May. It remained on lees until October when it was disgorged with a light dosage of four to five g/L sugar. Cheninpagne!