The nose shines with the subtle richness of buttery, raw shortcrust pastry but also has a lovely inflection of smoke and lemon. This autolytic richness carries right over onto the slender, smooth palate where an edge of honey is just hinted at. The foam is fine and creamy, and the balance is striking. A most elegant debut for this first release with a sonorous, dry finish.

The 2014 Brut Classic Cuvée spent 36 months on the lees and has a low dosage of 7g/L. It presents an attractive and quite intense bouquet of baked Braeburn apples, a touch of pear and a background note of melted candle wax. The palate is fresh with a creamy texture, harmonious and delineated. Those baked apples define the finish, and there is a welcome pinch of spice on the aftertaste. A fine cuvée from Roebuck Estates.