Exton Park Brut Reserve NV

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.

Davenport, Limney Estate 2014

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.

Redfold Vineyard, 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.

Exton Park Brut Reserve NV

The Exton Park vineyards are to be found in the uplands of the Meon Valley in Hampshire part of the chalkland of the South Downs. The first vines were planted in 2003 with a further planting carried out in 2009. The altitude and aspect of the vineyard varies so creating micro-climates and different terroirs within the estate. This results in a range of different base wines, both varietal and terroir, for blending the base wine for the second fermentation.

The estate is owned by Malcolm Isaac MBE, creator of the Vitacress brand, and he has assembled a great team in the vineyard and winery focussed on producing high quality wines. The winemaker is Corinne Seely and the vineyard manager is Fred Langdale. Both have great experience in winemaking having worked around the world and in the UK before arriving at Exton Park. Some of you may know the name Seely from the world of Bordeaux. Corinne made wines for Lynch Bages and Domaine Chevalier amongst others before creating wines in the Douro, Australia and the Languedoc.

Davenport, Limney Estate 2014

The Limney Estate is owned by England’s leading organic wine producer, Will Davenport. The first vineyard was planted in 1991 at Horsmonden, Kent and, as the operation developed, Will moved to a winery over the border in East Sussex at Rotherfield. The fruit comes from vineyards around Horsmonden and Rotherfield. Today, the vineyards cover 24 aces of land and grow vines for both still and sparkling wine. The vineyards were converted to organic farming from 2000 and all the wines are now certified by the Soil Association. 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.

Redfold Vineyard, Ambriel Rosé 2014

Another producer from the Pulborough area but this time on a vineyard overlooking the South Downs and on Greensand. The owners, Wendy and Charles Outhwaite, took five years to find the site, which was purchased and planted to vines in 2006, and now produce a range of fine, award-winning sparkling wine. The 9.5 ha site is quite special in that it sits atop a scarp face overlooking the Downs, and whilst it offers a spectacular view, there are a couple of benefits from the slope and height. Firstly, the south facing slope gives better sunlight, for both warmth and heat, and secondly, the slope reduces the risk of frost. In fact, in the past whilst neighbouring vineyards have suffered from a severe loss of crops due to Spring frost, Redfold has been relatively unscathed.

The vineyard is planted to the three main Champagne varieties and the focus is purely on sparkling wines produced in the Traditional method. The wines are made using only estate grown fruit. Both Charles and Wendy are believers in the wine expressing the terroir of the site. All the wines undergo a long ageing on the lees, at least 24 months, so as to develop the autolytic notes and allow the wine to evolve its character.