Garagiste Merricks Cuvée de Coeur Sparkling 2018 (Disg. Oct 2021)

When it comes to the great sparkling wines of the world, 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.

From the generous vintage of 2018, this second disgorgement has spent a further 12 months on lees than the first release, for 36 months in total. The extended aging on lees has certainly contributed further weight and concentration to this exceptional sparkling—and has also warranted a lower dosage (only 1.75 g/L, while the previous release was dosed at 2.5 g/L)—thereby maintaining the mannerisms of the first release, while subtly impacting the richness of the palate.