Many of Tasmania’s sparkling wines are crafted from bought grapes and made by a contract winemaker. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this, what with the cost of purchasing land and establishing a vineyard, it doesn’t ooze the magic of a farmer growing, fizzing and bottling their own. Dr Andrew Pirie founded Apogee in 2007, and has spent the best part of 40 years producing still and sparkling wines. Does anyone know the vinous landscape of Tasmania better? No is the answer to that, but there are two other reasons to compel our interest in Apogee.
Firstly, all wines, sparkling and still come off the property and are single vineyard wines. Located near Lebrina in the Pipers River district of northern Tasmania, Andrew felt that such a cool site would be ideal for the production of high quality sparkling wine. Further, that the scale was to be small. Tiny in fact, just 2 hectares, ensuring that only the most meticulous methods and care are employed. Most of the vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a tiny quantity of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris, one of Australia’s finest.
Secondly, these are rich Champagnes, I mean sparklings, and are Australia’s most convincing examples of the fuller bodied, oxidative styles of Bollinger, Selosse and Egly-Ouriet. So they are of a style; filled autolysis notes, brioche, grilled nuts, cream and biscuits. Tasting and evaluating fizzy wines is difficult, and alongside dessert wines, the most difficult class to assess if one has a long queue of examples. I was lucky enough to also taste his Alto Pinot Noir and Alto Pinot Gris, and was struck by the purity of fruit, length of flavour and natural, harmonious structures. I had quickly formed an extremely favourable opinion of the sparkling wines, but tasting the beautiful still wines confirmed the quality of the raw material. Make no doubt of it, Apogee is a wonderful vineyard.
It’s clear the style that Mr Pirie likes, it was he after all who mentioned Bollinger, but further to enjoying this style myself, they never tipped into excess or parody. Producer’s can be wedded to a style, Egly for example is synonymous with taking richness and grandeur to a whole new level and is a reference point for those who love Champagne that has undergone extensive ageing on lees. What I loved about the sparkling wines of Apogee, beyond their evident deliciousness, is their glide and refreshment, the crucial ease of drinking. These are crafted single vineyard sparkling wines of richness and breadth, never losing sight of the fact that they are wines for drinking and not simply for tasting.
Apogee Deluxe Vintage Brut 2020
Lovely, clear colour, somewhere between sunflower yellow and gold. Wafting aromatics, I almost wish I had a white wine glass, rather than a Champagne flute, to capture the spilling complexity. Hazelnut, honey, stewed apple, spring jasmine, cherry, gingernut biscuit and lime. Rich and full bodied, buoyed by frothing freshness, a marvelous combination of weight, power and elegance. You can taste the full range of extended lees ageing, with brioche notes, oatey biscuits, pastry, white chocolate, orange and cream. I just love the opulence and tension, the feeling of fleshy richness and tangy fruit. Lovely long and gentle finish teases for minutes.
Apogee Deluxe Vintage Rose 2019
A fuller, fleshier, silky rendition of a sparkling rose, which suits me just fine. Lovely colour, with aromas of lavender, red summer fruit compote, ruby grapefruit and cherry pie. It’s built differently to the Deluxe Brut Vintage, being more linear, more tightly structured and less round in shape. Ripe fleshy red fruits are tensioned by subtle Christmas spice and tangy citrus, cream and pastry. Beautifully balanced and pitched, with terrific glide and flow. I know what I’m serving this year.
