Late disgorged 2012, ten years on lees
Ten years, then air.
Chardonnay and pinot noir from 2012, left on its lees in the dark for a decade and finished with no sugar at all. The rarest bottle we make.
Ember Hill · Pokolbin
Buy the Late Disgorged 2012
Ten years on lees before we took the cork. Honey, toast, hazelnut.
- Grapes
- 60% chardonnay, 40% pinot noir
- On lees
- Ten years on lees
- Dosage
- Brut nature, 0 g/L
- Alcohol
- 12%
$110 a bottle, 750ml
18+ only. An adult signs for every delivery.
Tasting note
Our late disgorged, in the glass
Late disgorged means a sparkling wine left on its lees far longer than usual and only disgorged shortly before release. Ours is the 2012 vintage, 60% chardonnay from the Top Block and 40% pinot noir from the Hill Block, and it spent ten years on lees in the cellar under the hill before the crown seal came off.
It is a deep gold in the glass, with a very fine, gentle bead. The nose is honey and toast first, then roasted hazelnut, dried citrus peel and something close to a savoury crust of bread. In the mouth it is completely dry, brut nature with no dosage at all, and yet it feels round, because ten years of lees have given it a creamy texture that no sugar could. The finish is long, nutty and still fresh.
This is the bottle for an occasion you have planned around a wine, or for someone who already loves aged whites. It asks for a little attention and gives a great deal back.
The wine
Late Disgorged 2012 in figures
- Grapes
- 60% chardonnay, 40% pinot noir
- Vintage
- 2012
- Time on lees
- Ten years on lees
- Dosage
- Brut nature, 0 g/L
- Alcohol
- 12%
- Price
- $110 a bottle
Why wait
Why late disgorged tastes different
While a sparkling wine sits on its lees under a crown seal, it is protected. The spent yeast soaks up oxygen and keeps the wine fresh, and it slowly breaks down, a process called autolysis, giving the wine its toast, brioche and nut. A bottle can rest like this for many years and change very slowly.
Once it is disgorged, the clock changes. A little air gets in with the dosage and the cork, and the wine begins to age in a different way, developing honey and dried fruit. A late disgorged wine gets both: a decade of slow change on the lees, then a fresh start only months before you open it. That is why it can taste so deep and so lively at once.
No dosage
Brut nature, 0 g/L
Most sparkling wine gets a small dose of wine and sugar after disgorging to round off the acid. This one does not. When the lees come out, each bottle is topped up with the same 2012 wine and nothing else, so it is brut nature at 0 g/L.
Daniel Marsh, our chief winemaker, chose that because ten years on lees have already done what sugar would. The wine is soft enough on its own, and any sweetness would blur the honey and hazelnut rather than lift them. The bottles are riddled by hand on the racks, disgorged, topped, corked and wired, then rested again before they leave the cellar. Our disgorging explainer covers how it is done.
A decade in the dark, and no sugar to hide behind.
Food, serving and cellaring
How to drink it
Serve it at about 10°C, warmer than a younger sparkling, so the aromas open. Take it from the fridge 15 minutes before you pour, and use a white wine glass rather than a flute. Do not rush the bottle. It changes over an hour in the glass, from toast towards honey and nut.
It suits food with depth: aged comté or parmesan, roast chicken with mushrooms, scallops in brown butter, a terrine, or simply a plate of good bread and salted butter. It is a wine for a quiet table rather than a crowd.
Because the wine has been freshly disgorged, it is at its best in the next few years. Keep it on its side somewhere cool and dark until then. The Late Disgorged is released in small numbers, and members on the Prestige tier of the club receive an allocation with each shipment. Prestige members also have a place at the members' disgorging day. To try the finishing yourself, the Saturday disgorging masterclass has you disgorge, dose and cork a bottle by hand with the winemaker.
Questions
What ten years on lees changes
What does late disgorged mean?
Late disgorged means a traditional-method sparkling wine that has spent much longer than usual on its lees and was only disgorged a short time before release. The long contact with the lees gives deep toasty, nutty flavours, while the recent disgorging keeps the wine fresh. Ember Hill's Late Disgorged 2012 spent ten years on lees in our cellar before the crown seal came off.
How long has the Ember Hill Late Disgorged been on lees?
Ten years. The 2012 chardonnay and pinot noir were bottled for their second fermentation and then laid down in the cellar under the hill, where they rested on their lees for a decade. That is twice as long as our Blanc de Blancs and more than three times as long as the Rosé, which is where the honey, toast and hazelnut come from.
What is brut nature?
Brut nature is the driest style of sparkling wine, with 0 to 3 grams of sugar a litre and usually no sugar added at all after disgorging. Our Late Disgorged is brut nature at 0 g/L: each bottle is topped up with the same wine and nothing else. Ten years on lees give it enough roundness that it does not need sugar to soften the acid.
Why is late disgorged sparkling wine more expensive?
It takes far longer to make. The Late Disgorged 2012 spent ten years on lees, which means a decade of cellar space and of bottles that could not be sold, all turned by hand on the riddling racks before disgorging. Only a small number are released. At $110 a bottle it is the most expensive of our four cuvées, and the one we make least of.
How long can I cellar a late disgorged wine?
A late disgorged wine is ready to drink when it is released, because the long ageing has already happened on the lees. Once disgorged it begins to change more quickly, so we suggest opening it within the next few years. Keep it on its side somewhere cool, dark and steady. Serve at about 10°C in a white wine glass, and give it time to open.
How can I get a bottle of the Late Disgorged?
The 2012 Late Disgorged is $110 a bottle. You can add it to your cart on this page while stock lasts, or buy it at the cellar door, open daily from 10am to 5pm. Prestige members of the Ember Hill club receive a Late Disgorged allocation with their shipments and save 25% on every order. An adult must sign for every delivery.
First pick of every release
Prestige members receive a Late Disgorged allocation, 25% off every order and a place at the members' disgorging day.