Croser

THE CROSER WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY, ONE THAT CONTINUES TODAY, BEGINS IN THE VINEYARD; THE PICCADILLY VALLEY VINES ARE ALL HAND PRUNED, THE GRAPES HAND PICKED AND THE FRUIT WHOLE BUNCH PRESSED BEFORE BEING CRAFTED INTO WINES USING THE TRADITIONAL METHOD.

THE HEART OF THE CROSER STORY IS the region in which the wines are made, the handcrafting and the determination to create something world-class.

Croser was born from a dream that a region in Australia could produce a wine to rival those made in Champagne, France. With this aim in mind, Brian Croser set out to find this region, identifying a greenfields area in 1979, in the Adelaide Hills. An area that was not yet being used for wine grape production and one that was perfect for his sparkling wine venture due to its combination of rainfall, cool temperatures and diverse aspects.

A remarkable valley, situated to the east of Mount Lofty, the highest point of the Adelaide Hills, Croser settled on Piccadilly due to its cool and wet series of valleys- the ideal growing conditions for elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Choosing Piccadilly Valley to begin his dream, an area that was at the time used for market gardens and fruit orchards, Croser planted Chardonnay for table wine on the warmer north and east facing slopes and Pinot Noir vines for sparkling wines along the cooler, south facing slopes; the first vineyards planted in the Piccadilly Valley.

In 1980, Croser made his first sparkling wine, but didn’t release a wine under his own name until 1986, when he released the first vintage, 1985, under the Croser label; a sparkling wine embodying a complexity of texture, flavour, bouquet and tiny bubbles, it was crafted using the traditional method, as this was believed to be the only way to rival the quality of sparkling wines of Champagne.

Since that first release, the vines have matured, adding subtle depth to the Croser wines. The overall style of Croser has changed very little; dominated by Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, this will always be the case for the Croser brand.

With altitudes ranging from 450 metres to 550 metres above sea level, the vines in the Piccadilly Valley vineyards are planted following European tradition; 3300 to the hectare- more than double the usual Australian density of 1400. It is Petaluma’s belief that to create high quality wine, you need high density vine plantings, meaning a smaller grape yield per vine, in turn producing superior quality wine.

Each batch of grapes must be harvested at exactly the right moment to ensure the proper balance of flavour, delicacy and freshness and this is achieved through vines being hand-tended. The winemakers spend plenty of time in the vineyards assessing flavour, sugar and acidity in the grapes, hand harvesting the grapes into small crates in a bid to minimise the chance of splitting or exposure to air- before moving them to a cold store in crates.

At the winery, the chilled grapes are gently pressed in pneumatic tank presses. The juice is then fermented in a mixture of stainless steel tanks and older French oak barriques, converting the grape sugar to alcohol.

LEFT: Handpicking in our Piccadilly Valley vineyard

RIGHT: Autumn in our Summertown vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley

The next step involves the winemaker tasting and evaluating every batch, choosing the best parcels, and deciding on the final blend. The “base wine” is then blended in tanks, sterile filtered and sugar and yeast added. This blend is then “tiraged”, bottled, and sealed with a crown seal.

The added yeast then converts the sugar to alcohol and importantly, carbon dioxide gas, the natural bubble in the finished wine. This secondary fermentation takes about three weeks, and then the yeast cells start dying as the sugar is consumed. Once dead, the yeast begins to break down, and over time produce wonderful bread, brioche “autolysis” characters. This fermentation in bottle produces very fine bubbles, and gives the soft persistent bead.

After at least a year “on lees” the bottles are “riddled” in cages, a process whereby all the decayed yeast is swept down the walls of the bottle and gathers in the crown seal. The bottles start on their side, and finish “on point”, upside down, having been turned and upended in the cages.

These on point bottles then go into the “disgorging” process. The bottles go first into a neck freezer which freezes a small amount of wine, along with the yeast plug and crown seal. The bottle is then turned upright and the frozen yeast plug, crown seal and a little frozen wine is expelled by the natural pressure in the bottle. The clear wine is then given a dose of special liqueur, the cork and wire applied, and finally the wine is ready for labelling.

Tasting notes

CROSER NV ADELAIDE HILLS

Appearance: Pale, golden straw

Aroma: A delicate bouquet of fresh citrus and white peach with a light yeastiness on the nose

Flavour: The Chardonnay offers nectarine, cashews and biscuity characters – the backbone of the Croser Non Vintage palate – with the Pinot Noir providing a fine mousse and strawberry fruit lift CROSER NV ROSE PICCADILLY VALLEY

Appearance: Pale, bright pink

Aroma: A rich creamy mousse and layers of complexity, with aromas of raspberries, strawberries and pomegranates

Flavour: A creamy, biscuity, nutty brioche finish CROSER VINTAGE 2011

Appearance: Pale, straw green

Aroma: Subtle and refined, supported by lovely melony fruit

Flavour: The traditional method has guaranteed a delicate persistent fine mousse that explodes on the palate. Raspberry and strawberry from the Pinot and ripe apple from the Chardonnay combine with subtle biscuit and creaminess

CROSER 2002 LATE DISGORGED

Appearance: Light pale straw colour with light golden hues

Aroma: Complex, elegant and with an exceptionally fine bead, featuring aromas of Granny Smith apples

Flavour: Creamy, nutty brioche and a fresh alluring acidity

Andrew Hardy

A 5TH GENERATION WINEMAKER, ANDREW HARDY, OF THE HARDY FAMILY, HAS BEEN AT PETALUMA, THE FAMOUS SOUTH AUSTRALIAN WINERY, SINCE 1982 WHEN HE WAS STILL STUDYING AT UNIVERSITY.

A HIGHLY RESPECTED WINEMAKER, HE is renowned for his elegant winemaking style. It is his vision to craft wines of longevity and charm that are a true reflection of Petaluma’s special and unique vineyards, that is the driving force behind the Croser brand.

Beginning his career in 1982, alongside founder Brian Croser, Andrew went on to work vintages in Oregon and Bordeaux and then Knappstein, where he stayed for nearly a decade. It was here that Andrew won the Warren Winiarski Trophy for Best Cabernet in the World and the Trophy for the Best Australian Red Wine for his Enterprise Cabernet Wine.

It is Andrew’s belief that if the land and vineyards Petaluma is built upon are exceptional, then the wine will be also, and it is for this reason that he puts so much importance on the Adelaide Hills and Piccadilly Valley region in particular. Piccadilly is the coldest, wettest region for grape growing in South Australia. The fact that it is so cold and so wet and is home to very ancient soils makes it the ideal area for grape growing and it is a combination of all these things that makes it so special.

Andrew was instrumental in the construction of Petaluma’s new winery in Woodside. Built in 2014, the winery is built on a beautiful 30 hectare property, and is focussed around the production of method champenoise wine; traditional method sparkling wine, sold in the bottle it was fermented in.

It’s Andrew belief that Croser is all about maintaining the quality and the style that it has become known for. The region and its vineyards are all important, and the focus on quality is never ending. ❧