Nocontrol Wine — Chardonnay Sparkling 2023

Traditional-method sparkling aged 24 months in the cellar of an old Tibetan house in Ruiwa Village — silky lees character.

Region: Yunnan, China | Grape: 100% Chardonnay | Vintage: 2023 | Style: Traditional Method Sparkling | ABV: 11.5% | Volume: 750ml

Terroir
Ruiwa Village, Deqin County, elevation 2,700m.

Winemaking
Made using the traditional (Champagne) method, stripped of every unnecessary flourish: hand-harvested, gently whole-bunch pressed, taking only the free-run first pressing to avoid bitter phenolics. The base wine ferments naturally on wild yeast with no commercial strains added. The following spring the base wine goes into bottle for a second fermentation, with a small dosage of sugar and yeast added. Bottles rest for over 24 months in the cellar of an old Tibetan stone house beneath the snow mountains, where the lees slowly release complex notes of bread, biscuit and toasted nuts. Riddling and disgorgement are done entirely by hand. Dosage is extremely low (<5g/L), close to zero, letting acidity and minerality take the lead.

High Cru Tasting Notes
A hint of lees character with a distinct texture, and pronounced acidity (more lees character than the ZAXEE sparkling). Finer, silkier bubbles. Flavour leans more citrus with a touch of stone fruit; the nose shows fairly pronounced nutty notes, a hint of apricot kernel, yeast and brioche.

Total Production: 800 bottles