Awards, Ratings & Reviews
95/100 — Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion · Published: 16 June 2025
“A traditional method sparkling blend of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and grenache. Base wine from '12, '13 and '15. Barrel aged for two years prior to bottling. Five years on lees. Look at those purple bubbles! Dark plum, raspberry and black cherry fruits, spice, purple flowers, earth, leather and a whole lot of drinking fun. There's a richness here that I love with light, pillowy, pithy tannin just visible, a touch of fruit sweetness and vivid acid drive.”
About This Wine
Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz is produced using the traditional Australian sparkling red technique pioneered by Seppelts at Great Western.
The base wine is aged in oak for around two years before tirage bottling and ageing on lees for up to five years.
The wine is produced from Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet.
The vineyards are located in Krondorf and Rowland Flat in the Barossa Valley.
The extended lees ageing contributes complexity, fine mousse and autolysis character, while the liquering dosage supports long-term ageing potential.
Producer Notes
Lovely deepish burgundy colour. Beautifully clean and sweet lift on the nose. A mix of fragrant red fruits and sweet spices.
A very fine tongue coating mousse with some apparent sweetness (necessary for a long ageing traditional sparkling burgundy style) that is finely balanced by some just evident tannins.
The complexity and fine bubble is evidence of the almost 60 months lees ageing. Best drunk just chilled.
A wine with great cellaring potential – tuck away for upto 20 years.
Specifications
- Vintage: NV, bottles in 2017, disgorged in 2023
- Grape Variety: Shiraz, Grenache & Cabernet
- Region: Barossa Valley / South Australia / Australia
- Fermentation: Traditional method sparkling red
- Maturation: Base wine aged in oak for around two years prior to tirage bottling; aged on lees for up to five years
- Vineyard / Geo Info: Krondorf and Rowland Flat
- Alcohol: 14.5%
