Vasse Felix Idée Fixe Brut Rosé 2023

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Pale salmon with a fine, persistent and lively bead.
• Aromatics: Fresh strawberries, red cherry and goji berries are joined by crunchy white nectarine and delicate baked-pastry notes.
• Palate: Bright finger lime and cherry lead into pink rose petal, invigorating minerality and fine savoury complexity.
• Texture: Creamy and energetic, with a sea-foam-like mousse created by its traditional bottle fermentation and extended lees ageing.
• Finish: Fresh, refined and persistent, balancing red fruit, citrus and subtle pastry characters.

Accolades

95 Points – Ray Jordan
This is a combination of chardonnay and pinot noir, producing that lovely copper-toned, onion-blush colour of this rosé style. Deeply intense and meaty, with light strawberry notes on the nose and a little lifted, controlled stone fruit. The palate has a rich, creamy, meaty character with tremendous energy and verve. This is a complex rosé style.

Winemaker’s Note

Fuller-bodied, textural Chardonnay juice creates the foundation, while Pinot Noir contributes colour and red-fruit character. A delicate dosage maintains the purity of the fruit without making the wine taste overtly sweet.

Viticulture and Winemaking

• Vintage: 2023
• Varieties: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
• Vineyard: Idée Fixe Vineyard, Karridale
• Method: Méthode traditionnelle, with secondary fermentation completed inside the bottle
• Oak: 20% matured in older French oak
• Time on lees: More than 18 months
• Dosage: 5.25 g/L
• Alcohol: 12.5%
• Cellaring: A further 12 to 18 months

The Chardonnay is hand-picked once the grapes achieve the desired balance of natural acidity, sugar and flavour. After being chilled overnight, the fruit is gently whole-bunch pressed in small batches. The base wines rest in stainless steel or aged French oak before blending. Yeast and a small amount of sugar are then added at tirage, beginning the secondary fermentation inside the sealed bottle and naturally creating the bubbles. The wine remains on its lees for more than 18 months before riddling and disgorgement. A carefully judged dosage of 5.25 g/L is added to refine its balance and structure.

Storage and Serving Tips

• Serving temperature: Serve at approximately 8°C. This is cool enough to preserve the fine bubbles and refreshing acidity without muting the fruit and pastry aromas.
• How to chill it: From normal Perth room temperature, refrigerate the bottle for approximately three hours. For faster chilling, place it in an ice bucket filled with equal parts ice and water for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Decanting: Do not decant sparkling wine, as this causes it to lose its bubbles. Open the bottle carefully and serve directly into sparkling or white-wine glasses.
• Cellaring potential: Delicious now, although the winery suggests a further 12 to 18 months of cellaring if you prefer more developed pastry and savoury characters.
• After opening: Use a proper sparkling-wine stopper and return the bottle to the refrigerator. It is best enjoyed on the day it is opened.

Food Pairing 

• Sashimi: The wine’s citrus, minerality and fine bead complement delicate raw fish.
• Fresh shellfish: Try it with oysters, prawns, scallops or crab.
• Charcuterie: Its acidity and savoury complexity balance cured meats and pâté.
• Soft cheese: Brie, Camembert and triple-cream cheese work beautifully with its creamy mousse.
• Fresh red-fruit tart: Strawberry or raspberry tart reflects the wine’s red-fruit flavours while its acidity refreshes the palate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does méthode traditionnelle mean?

Méthode traditionnelle means the wine undergoes its second fermentation inside the same bottle in which it is eventually sold. This second fermentation naturally creates the bubbles. The wine then remains in contact with the spent yeast, known as lees, before the bottle is riddled and disgorged. In simple terms, it is a slower and more involved way of making sparkling wine that creates finer bubbles and greater flavour complexity.

What does more than 18 months on lees mean?

Lees are the spent yeast cells left behind after fermentation. Keeping the wine in contact with these yeast cells for more than 18 months helps develop its creamy mousse and baked-bread or pastry-like flavours. The longer ageing also allows the bubbles and flavours to become more integrated.

What is dosage?

Dosage is a small amount of wine and sugar added after the spent yeast has been removed during disgorgement. It is used to balance the wine’s natural acidity and determine its final level of sweetness. This Brut Rosé has a restrained dosage of 5.25 g/L, helping it remain dry, fresh and precise.

What does Brut mean?

Brut indicates that the sparkling wine is dry rather than sweet. There may still be a small amount of sugar present, but its effect is mainly to balance the wine’s acidity rather than create an obviously sweet flavour.

Why are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blended together?

Chardonnay provides citrus flavours, acidity, elegance and mineral structure. Pinot Noir contributes red-fruit flavours, additional texture and the wine’s attractive salmon colour. Together, they create a sparkling rosé that is both fresh and delicately fruity.