This Month’s Selection

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This month’s selection is a chance to taste wines from around the south of England, from recent estates to one of the oldest, and from youthful and bright to mature and evolved. The Sparkling wines come from three different counties and still wines offer a chance to taste a Bacchus from Kent, a Pinot Gris from Sussex and a charming rosé from the Weald.

We have selected the wines from estates ranging from a few acres to one of the larger concerns in the country but all wines are made with Estate grown fruit.

The still wines all come from the highly rated 2018 vintage and deliver a range of styles. The sparkling wines are varied and show the differences in styles made in the English Vineyards. The pure lines and elegance of Hampshire’s Exton Park can be compared to the rich, textured mature wines of the organic Limney Estate and both of these are in contrast to the weighty Ambriel Vintage Rosé.

For more details on the individual wines please see below. All wine cases come with notes on the wines, the winemaker and food pairing tips. As with all our wines, subscribers always receive the monthly wines first, before they are made available in the shop.

white, ROSÉ, white - Still Selection

White - chartham Bacchus 2018

We have selected the Bacchus due to its high quality, the expressive aromatics and bright freshness of the palate.  The Bacchus grape will always deliver acidity and aromatics and we felt that this was at the more floral end of the aromatic spectrum.

It is a superb aperitif but it will partner a range of lighter dishes. One of the best combinations is pairing Bacchus with a light goat’s cheese of curd. Find a youthful goat’s cheese, creamy and smooth, add to a green salad with a little walnut oil dressing, some fresh crusty bread or toast and enjoy the fresh wine cutting through cheese and enriching the flavours. A great springtime wine.

The 2018 vintage at Chartham was a vintage of abundance with lovely ripeness throughout the vines. For the Bacchus the long hang tie meant a greater development of the aroma compounds which, combined with a cool fermentation in steel tanks, has delivered an array of floral and herbaceous aromas. Part of the secret of the success of the wine is that the delivery from vineyard to winery takes a few hours which actually means more of the flavours from the skins get into the juice and wine.

ROSÉ - Hush heath Nanette 2018

The Nanette Rosé is a blend of several grapes each of which contribute to the final wine. The varieties used are Regent, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The Regent is a useful wine for delivering colour, the Pinot Noir for red fruits, the Meunier gives an apple note and the Chardonnay some citrus characters. The wine is dry and fresh with a gentle fruitiness. We have managed to secure the last few bottles of the vintage before the winery moves on to the 2019.

The benefit of the extra age is that the acidity will have integrated and rounded out so giving a smoother and more food friendly wine. Whilst this will suit as a fine drinking rosé, served at 8C, it will be a good wine for food served a little warmer, 11 to 12C. It is a lovely wine to partner seafood such as prawns, lobster and crab; Nanette’s is a cracker with the iconic and newly revived prawn cocktail. The red fruits partner the sauce and sweetness of the prawn and the lightness of the wine will not overwhelm the dish. Alternatively, if you like a spicy curry, chicken, fish or vegetarian this style of wine is always a winner.

White - stopham pinot gris 2018

The Stopham Pinot Gris had a lovely bright feel to it and has an aromatic quality. Most Pinot Gris will deliver a muted nose of pear, apple and light spice. This Pinot Gris however has some lifted floral notes and a grapefruit zing. The palate is well balanced and has a zing. It is an atypical Pinot Gris but a wonderful one. The reason for the unique nature of the Stopham Point Gris is that a small percentage of Bacchus has been blended in. This has added complexity and structure. The marked acidity of the wine is balanced by a small amount of residual sugar (7g).

The hint of sweetness and aromatics make this a super wine to match Thai or lightly spiced oriental fish or chicken dishes.

 The style of wine, fresh, bright and aromatic, is produced without going through the malolactic conversion. The ‘malo’ process changes malic acid to lactic acid ; a process carried out by bacteria. The end result is an increase in the pH of the wine, a softening of the mouthfeel and some flavour compounds can be created. The Stopham wine philosophy is to retain the freshness and fruit aromatics so the malo is not carried out. The result is a wine with a pH of 3.11. This is very low and needs to be balanced by some sweetness, hence the use of residual sugar.

Sparkling Wine selection

Exton Park brut reserve

The Brut Reserve is a multi-vintage wine blended from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The blend is generally 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay and the resulting wine delivers a refreshing wine, rounded with a gentle foaming mousse and apple, citrus and light red fruit notes. The wine has a wonderful tension between the fresh acidity and biscuit richness on the palate. It is a great aperitif and will partner many canapé style dishes. It is also a partner for poached or steam salmon, the acidity of the wine cuts through the richness of the fish, the citrus notes highlight the fish flavour and the toasty character adds an umami savouriness. 

Redfold Sparkling Ambriel ROSÉ 2014

The most common method of producing a sparkling rosé is to blend a red and white wine to produce a base rosé for the second fermentation. At Redfold, Charles and Wendy decided to produce their rosé as 100% Pinot Noir made as a still rose by fermented on the skins for a short time. It is also their very first rosé and comes from a block of a low- yielding Burgundian clone. It was vinified with skin contact, turning it every 3 hours to create the delicate pink colour. The wine is one of Wendy’s favourites because it was their first adventure in producing rosé and they took the risk to produce the wine in a different method; and it paid off.

The wine has a depth and succulence with a firm core of acidity which balances the nuanced red berry fruit and spice of the Pinot Noir. This is a serious wine, a sipping glass of bubbles, and one that will partner foods very well. The depth and structure will allow this to go with tuna, chicken, and salmon dishes. It can also work with cheeses. So, take the plunge and create a supper of Chicken and morels followed by an epoisse and enjoy the Redfold Ambriel rosé. 

davenport limney estate 2014

In the winery the approach is to let nature take its course but under the management of the wine maker.  Will Davenport is a Chemistry graduate and has a degree in winemaking from Roseworthy, Australia. The role of the winemaker is to guide the wine rather than intervene. The fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeasts, as little fining or filtration is carried out (the wine is allowed to clear by natural settling) and most fermentations take place at an ambient temperature.

The Limney Estate 2014 is a blend of Chardonnay (50%), Pinot Noir (26%) and Meunier (24%). The wine undergoes a long ageing on the lees before released and so has a terrific autolytic depth and is a rich, dry flavoursome wine. It is certainly an individual style and not a simple wine. There is complexity and texture, length and balance in this characterful wine.

One of the major factors in determining the quality and style of a traditional method sparkling wine is the length of time on the lees. Many wines are made with 18 months in contact with the lees, in Champagne the minimum is 15 months, in order to allow the break down of yeast cells and the development of flavours derived from yeast. This development of yeast characters is known as autolysis. High quality, traditional fizz will usually undergo a long period, at least 24 to 30 months on the lees. 

Increasing the top English sparkling wines have extended periods on the yeast. The Limney Estate wine has five years on the lees and Will believes that this allows for a richer autolytic character and also a better integration of the acidity and development of fruit.