Hanging Rock Winery -Macedon Brut Cuvée XX NV

Macedon Brut Cuvée XX NV spent approximately 3 1/2 years on yeast lees in the bottle and with the second fermentation complete, the bead had become fine and the flavour had developed unmistakable length. Undoubtedly it will be described as a rich, flavourful wine.

This new blend is approximately 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, and the Pinot comprises three distinct clones that each have an important impact on the final balance of the wine. Each year half of each vintage goes through malolactic fermentation and is then barrel aged, the other half is fermented in tank and is added to the reserve wine to make up the most recent blend. This harks back to the way the very first Macedon- Macedon I was made back in 1983.

Champagne is so named because it comes from the Champagne region of France. The name “Champagne” is carefully protected with regulations regarding plantings, varieties, viticulture and winemaking. Wine producers in the Macedon Ranges Region have adopted similar rules for their own regional sparkling wine, which is called “Macedon”. So, “Champagne” is from Champagne and “Macedon” is from the Macedon Ranges. In creating Hanging Rock “Macedon” Hanging Rock Winery have unashamedly modelled it on the non-vintage wines of Krug and Bollinger. Both these famous French houses carry huge reserve stocks of past vintages for blending to a consistent style and both ferment and mature at least part of their base wine in oak. Hanging Rock have done all of that.