Tasting Note A new Canadian sparkling star is born with this debut release of Dobbin Blanc de Blancs. It is rendered by Peter Gamble, the singular pioneer of fine traditional-method sparkling wine in Canada. It pours with classic pale lemon-gold colour. The nose is a deep pool of ripe chardonnay pear, shortbread, dried yellow flowers and maple walnut ice cream. It is light to medium bodied, delicately underpinned by fine lemony acidity, some creaminess, and a hint of sweetness and very rich flavours. The length is excellent to outstanding with some minerality on the finish.

Backgrounder Winemaking consultant Peter Gamble has developed traditional-method sparklers in Canada’s cool-climate regions for decades, at Benjamin Bridge and Lightfoot & Wolfville in Nova Scotia; at Sperling in the East Kelowna Slopes region in B.C.; and at York Vineyard on St. Davids Bench in Niagara. The chardonnay for this cuvée was harvested from the cool north-facing clay limestone slopes of the Beamsville Bench (though labeled VQA Niagara Escarpment). It was wild-fermented in stainless steel, rested in neutral barrels and 500-litre puncheons, then put through full malolactic fermentation. After eight months on lees, the wine was bottled for secondary fermentation and aged 34 months sur lie. It is brut in style (7 g/L residual sugar), with bright acidity at TA 7.2.