Complex and engaging with creamy mousse, fine balance of yellow fruits and brioche.

Clive became incredibly excited when he first tasted the 2014 Classic Cuvée and wasn’t surprised when he found out that the wine had received a high score from Decanter magazine. It received 95 points, the highest scoring English wine and an equal score to Krug 2006 (selling at £ 223.00) . It just proves that our wine can be very good value.

The Ambriel Classic Cuvée MV which we are offering is a very special wine. It is special because it is one of those English wines which makes it clear that we can produce world beating wine which reflect its origins but also meets the quality criteria of fine wine around the globe. The Ambriel Classic Cuvée is a non- vintage, or multi-vintage, wine based on the 2014 vintage and is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Meunier.

The wine delivers a gentle yet persistent range of fresh and cooked apple, brioche, nut and oatmeal with an appetising character. The palate is vibrant and integrated with a rich savoury style lifted by apple and pear fruit. The mousse is gentle and caressing, the finish long and satisfying.

The family-run vineyard consists of 9.5 hectares on sunny south-facing greensand slopes overlooking the South Downs in West Sussex. The position of the site offers a degree of protection against frost and excellent exposure to the sun whilst the greensand is free draining, so affording good drainage and a relatively dry micro-climate in the vineyard. According to Charles and Wendy Outhwaite, the owners, it took them 5 years to find the right site, a similar challenge which faced their near neighbour, Nyetimber, when they set up their vineyard in the 1990s.

The estate is focussed on producing high quality, sparking wine; no still wines are made here, and they only use estate grown fruit. It is, they believe, the only way to maintain strict quality control and deliver a wine which truly reflects the vineyard terroir. The estate has been carbon neutral for a number of years.

Food Pairing Ideas: A wine to savour, a wine to partner a wide range of canapés but also heavy enough to partner tuna, salmon or even veal.

ABV: 11%

Sussex Wine