Hubert de Castella's passion for the Yarra Valley saw him establish St Huberts in 1862. By the late 1800s it had grown to be the largest estate in the area. The wines enjoyed immediate and on-going success at wine shows both domestically and abroad. The onset of the Great Depression, the increasing popularity of fortified wine and the emerging profitability of dairy farming saw the vineyard revert to grazing in the 1920s. It wasn't until the 1960s that the Yarra Valley again rose to prominence as a wine region and St Huberts was once again one of the pioneers. First made in 2010, the St Huberts Sparkling Blanc de Noir is our attempt at a “serious sparkling”. We venture off the valley floor for this wine, and carefully select parcels of fruit from Upper Yarra Valley vineyards. Being a Blanc de Noir, Pinot Noir is the dominant variety, and along with this comes the fruit power and mid palate. (A smattering of Chardonnay is used occasionally to help the wines spine and draw out the finish.) Handpicked fruit was gently whole bunch pressed, and the base wine was fermented in its bottle in the “traditionnelle” method. The wine has over four years on lees prior to disgorging, then some time on cork before release.