Ridgeview Bloomsbury 2009

Pale gold, sprightly in the glass with ripe golden delicious apples, a touch of spiced baked apple too and a gentle layer of ground almond sweetness, verging on vanillla and ginger biscuits from the bottle age. It's quite an interesting example of a bottle that has had a relatively short time on lees but has been cellared for 18 months - the beginnings of the richness and toastiness of bottle age accompanies quite a freshly-textured, youthful feel to the wine. It doesn't quite have the length on the palate of the very best best lees-aged sparklers from the UK, with a touch of bitterness edging in, but that's no surprise - Bloomsbury is a consistent wine at the more reasonable end of the price spectrum for English fizz, and whilst I've had some decent 'off the shelf' experiences with it, this bottle proves that stashing it away for 18 months will be well worth it.
Incidentally I did try the 2010 Knightsbridge recently, which is an absolute cracker if you can find it....

Nyetimber 2006, Sussex, England

When I bought this a couple of years I remember thinking that Nyetimber was letting its lead slip a little at the forefront of English winemaking - their packaging was starting to look dated and a bit naff, other producers were undercutting them with some good wines and there just wasn’t quite the buzz around the wines that there had been a few years beforehand. As it turns out they were still making some great wines (the 2003 Blanc de Blancs being probably the best wine I’ve had from this country), and, with the 2007 vintage, went on to redesign the whole brand top-to-bottom. The bottles now look fabulous, there’s definition and simplicity to the product line, and the Rosé is proving rather popular. It’s clear that the big boys are going to fight to stay at the top of the pile.

2006 was a very warm year, and it seems as thought the folk at Nyetimber made the most of the ripeness of the grapes. After 20 mins this is quite flamboyant on the nose, with praline, apricot danish, dried apple, pineapple and kiwi all making an appearance. That generosity of tropical fruit and pastry is felt on the palate, which is nevertheless quite focused and savoury, with curt acidity and a gentle vanilla sweetness. It is a delicious wine, quite extroverted and perhaps a bit unusual but very satisfying nonetheless.

Breaky Bottom Brut 2008, Sussex, England

100% sparkling Seyval Blanc from one of Sussex's oldest vineyards. Breaky Bottom have been growing this stalwart grape for over 30 years, and although more modern vineyards growing the champagne varietals have stolen the limelight over the last 10 years, I always sense a real soft spot for Breaky Bottom amongst English wine fans. It has been quite fashionable to knock Seyval recently, and it tends not to do too well in blind tastings next to the pinots and chardonnay (in this year's annual tasting of over 90 English wines organised by Stephen Skelton MW, Breaky Bottom's 2006 came in a respectable 21st as the highest-placed non-champagne varietal wine). My feeling about Seyval as a base wine is that it is never going to reach the heights that the champagne varietals can in a top vineyard and a good year, but it can be approachable younger and more reliable in poor vintages. Perhaps most importantly, I like it - it's not blowsy or pungent, it tastes of apples and herbs, and it doesn't tend to have the searing acidity that a young English chardonnay can have in a year like 2008. I hope that a few hardy souls will keep making Seyval wines.
This pours a very pale, green-tinted straw. It reminds me of a fine Blanc de Blancs at first with its lovely sense of icing sugar and macaroon, but moves on to reveal quite deep and vinous bramley apple and as well as hints of white pepper, vanilla and thyme, all under a gentle whiff of apple blossom. Very elegant style on the palate, as the patisserie flavours surround the core of tangy, clean ripe apple and fine acidity. It's not the most persistent in flavour or aroma, and in fact the effervescence was not the longest lasting in this bottle, but it is very attractive and certainly up there with the Camel Valley Brut (although made in a much more vinous, Loire-like style). 2008 was a pretty tricky vintage in the UK and this is much readier to drink than a raft of 2008s from Chardonnay in particular, even if they end up overtaking it in a few years.

M&S Marksman Brut 2009, Sussex, England

This is a 100% Blanc de Blancs wine made by Ridgeview for M&S. This is unusual for an English sparkler in using a small amount of French Oak in the winemaking - I can't find any details but I'm thinking that perhaps a small percentage of the wine was fermented in a-few-years-old oak. On paper this is a risky thing to try and pull of with our nervy style of Chardonnay, but in this case it's more of a faint seasoning than a major player, and it really works.
The nose is all fresh red apples, ripe lemon zest, whitecurrants and the faint warmth of brioche dusted with vanilla sugar. There's a pleasing savoury thrust on the palate which for me is the main manifestation of the oak usage, and it sits very well alongside the tangy whitecurrant/apple fruit. As with many English sparklers it feels a bit 'tight' at this age and could do with more time in bottle - as the evening went on it started to uncoil a little bit. I'm going to pick some up and stick it in the cellar alongside a few other English goodies...

A little update on 2012 in Kent so far

It seems like every year in England is extraordinary in some way; some month or other is always the hottest, or the coldest, or the wettest in living memory. Last year, it was a freakishly cold August. This year, after one of the warmest Marches ever, we had the wettest April for 100 years and an abject May-June period (save for one hot week). It has been winter and summer on and off (although mostly winter), which, I suppose, added together gives you something like spring. Here are the vines I look after in Kent last weekend (the 11th June 2012)


The wind over the last few weeks has really tested the new shoots, and together with some very heavy rain there is a small amount of bruising at the tips. Not too much to worry about, though - last year we had hail at the beginning of June that heavily bruised the vines and damaged early flowers. 2012 has got off to a hairy start, though without the warm March and hot week during May we would be behind schedule enough to be worrying about having enough growing season left...
Just to get an idea of the relative progress this year, here are the vines at the same stage of maturity in 2011, almost a full month earlier on the 15th May 2011


We had a scorchingly dry start to the year - in fact, by the time of fruit set, I was worried about drought stress. The vines were will in flower by the end of the 1st week of June.
Finally, here is a picture of them just coming into flower on the 26th June 2010. This is about where I expect them to be by the end of June this year. Flowering at the end of June is what we want to stand the best chance of avoiding wet/cold/windy conditions during fruit set. If the fruit sets, there will be wine (unlike last year...)!

The Wine Pantry's English Wine Festival, and some thoughts on 2008s

I went down to this mini-festival of all things English on Sunday, held in the Jubilee market section of Borough Market. It was also the day of the Jubilee Pageant on the River, and in typical fashion the skies were grey and drizzle was abounding. There were jolly scenes in the market though, with lots of wines on show, as well as some tasty nibbles (although I probably should have saved the smoked eel until the end). I tried to focus on the sparklers. Firstly, a few tasting notes, then a few general thoughts:

Jenkyn Place Brut 2008Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier. Fragrant green apple, lemon zest and macroon aromas here, with the citrus character dominating the palate, which is a little bit brisk at the moment. I find it verging on a lemon juice flavour profile, which may be down to the vintage (more of that later)....dosage a little low perhaps?

Meopham Valley Cuvée 2008Unusually Pinot Gris is included in this wine, along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Slightly riper fruit profile here, more red apples and even a touch of berry fruit. Shades of richness too, with ground almonds and a bit of bakery aroma. Pure and elegant mouthfeel - an easier wine to enjoy that the Jenkyn Place at the moment.

Gusbourne Estate Blanc de Blancs 2008Another 2008 to compare here. I like the scented bramley apple and vanilla nose, and there's a noticeable step up in savoury complexity on the palate here over the last two wines. It is still brisk and verging on austere, but it feels very fine and essentially in balance, and will benefit from a few years tucked away.

Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2003A step back in time, and a step up in, well, most respects. There's some vinous depth to this wine, with toasted macaroon and whitecurrant aromas, vanilla and dried apple on the palate and a lovely lift of honeysuckle on the finish. 2003 was an unusually warm year, but there's no lack of freshness and precision to accompany the slightly more generous nature of this wine. Somewhat alarmingly for some of the younger wines here, this is just starting come into its own and will be drinking very nicely for a few more years.

Camel Valley Pinot Noir Brut Rosé 2010 This is all lively, primary fruit; strawberries, raspberries and a touch of creaminess, set off by a grassy, meadow-like aroma. The palate certainly fits the style, with a strawberry-cordial like sweetness to balance out the acidic zip. It's quite a young, simple wine - very fresh and fruit-driven, but not my favourite rosé here.

Gusbourne Estate Sparkling Rosé 2008
This is made from all three champagne grapes. It is mineral and restrained, with rosehip and icing sugar on the nose and a supremely elegant mousse delivering pure strawberry shortcake flavours. Balance and finesse here.

Nyetimber Rosé 2008Chardonnay and PInot Noir. This is slightly more outgoing and expressive than the Gusbourne with its complex redcurrant-led fruits and pleasing savoury dimension on the palate. There's a little biscuity richness going on too. Really like this.

Hush Heath Estate Balfour Brut 2008Pale salmon in colour with fragrant fresh strawberry and crabapple fruit, delicate minerality and impeccable balance on the palate. It feels ethereally bone dry and (drier than the Gusbourne and Nyetimber examples), but absolutely pulls it off. Unique.

I also tasted the Camel Valley Sparkling Red 2010, from Rondo grapes, partly because it is something I had thought of doing with my Leon Millot in Kent. Fun stuff, all herb-tinged cherry and hedgerow fruit, with sprightly but gentle bubbles. Made me want a barbeque and a cheeseburger. And more importantly, some sunshine....

In general it was the Rosés that stole the show here - they work better as younger wines than most white sparklers, and all three of the 2008s were in a more drinkable place than their white counterparts. Chardonnay, the latest to ripen of the three champagne grapes, had a very tough year in 2008 - Stephen Skelton reports that in some cases acidity levels reached 14 or 15 g/l. Those are truly epic acidities. I felt that the Jenkyn place was just over the edge in this sense, and could have done with a higher dosage. I enjoyed the Meopham, and the Gusbourne was in balance but felt young and coiled up - it will open up over the next 3 or 4 years, but I think that the most successful 2008s will be ones that include a fair percentage of the Pinots.
A special mention must go to Nyetimber here. This is a winery on a mission - they are simplifying their portfolio, beautifully rebranding their wines and selling their wines with just a bit more age behind them than some of their competitors. I slightly worry that, with cooler vintages like 2008, we might be releasing some difficult adolescents into the world. Camel Valley is an example of how to turn around some delicious wines in a short period of time, but for vineyards with ambitions towards a more complex, savoury style and lower dosages, time is an essential ingredient.

Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Rosé Brut

I've been following Chapel Down, based in Tenterden in Kent, for many years. I grew up in the area and remember the first visit to the vineyard about a decade ago, when still wines were a bigger part of the portfolio but the concept of English Sparkling Wine was just starting to get a little bit of a buzz.
Chapel Down were one of the pioneers of quality winemaking in the UK, establishing themselves in the 1980s with still wines from Seyval and Müller-Thurgau and with its (still excellent) Bacchus wines through the 1990s. For me, one of Chapel Down's problems through the 2000s was that it was a bit slow off the mark in joining the vanguard of top sparkling wine producers making wines from only champagne varietals. Whilst they had shelf presence in Marks and Spencer and Waitrose and were well-known name, they never quite had a world-class sparkler out there in any quantity to compete with specialists Ridgeview, Nyetimber, and the newer names such as Gusbourne.
All that is changing. Whilst their range is still very large, I think it is slowly coming into focus. This 100% Pinot Noir is by far the best wine I have ever had from them. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is one of the best I've ever had from the UK.

This has been in my cellar for a year. It is a beautiful peachy-pink colour, which gleams invitingly through the clear glass on this very classy bottle. Immediately this very engaging on the nose, with wild strawberry and loganberry fruit, crabapple and red rose. What I really love is the malty, burnt-sugar richness that accompanies the fruit, which reminds me of digestive biscuits and toasted meringues. This comes through on the palate very nicely with a well-judged sweetness (you only notice it if you think about it) like crabapple jelly. The elegant acid structure you expect from English sparklers is there, but there's real vinosity here that screams 'Pinot!'. This is stunning stuff - it comes in at £22.99 on their website and makes most pink champagne look absurdly over-priced and underwhelming. Also, I must say that it makes Hush Heath and Nyetimber Rosé look rather expensive....

Bolney Estate Pinot Grigio 2011, Sussex, England

2011 was a very unusual vintage in the UK, with many vineyards reporting record ripeness levels thanks to very low yields and an extended Indian summer. In practice, in the UK this means that winemakers were widely able to make still wines without chaptalisation and/or de-acidification, which are unfortunately necessary in our climate at times. Of the three main Pinot grapes, Pinot Grigio is firmly in third place in the UK in terms of plantings behind its siblings Pinots Blanc, Meunier and Noir due to its later ripening and unsuitability as a sparkling wine grape. It only really makes great wine in Alsace and in isolated pockets of Northern Italy, and I'm not sure the UK will be challenging these top wines for now.
This is quite a charmer on the nose, with its sweet red apple, peach blossom and even a bit of the perfume of fresh strawberries. The palate reminds me of fresh lemonade with its tangy acidity and gentle pear-like sweetness. It is primary stuff, all fruit/sugar/acidity, much like many of the northern italian wines. A tipple, and one that could spark a whole piece about still wines in the UK - but that's for another day! I look forward to tasting some more wines from the 2011 vintage, but this is a very solid start.

Camel valley 'Cornwall' Brut 2009

There seem to be a lot of bubbles in the first few posts at bunchpressed - I'll put that down to a trip to Champagne earlier in the year and the onset of the festive season. I do drink still wine, honest. Anyway, readers of the old blog will know that I have always kept a keen eye on happenings in the UK wine industry. I love this wine for two reasons; firstly (and most importantly) it is delicious. Secondly, it's not made from Pinot Noir or Chardonnay - it's a blend of Huxelrebe, Reichensteiner and Seyval Blanc, and it proves that good-quality grapes of 'inferior' varieties can make better wine than average quality 'noble' grapes, and shouldn't be forgotten about just yet.
This really opens up after 5 minutes in the glass. It's so fresh with whitecurrant and sweet apple fruit, just a little white peach (a sign of those teutonic grapes in what was a lovely warm year?) all wrapped up in sugared almond and honeysuckle. It's enticing and refined on the palate too, full of that apple and peach fruit, finishing with lovely acidity and a little floral flourish. There's a lot of pleasure to be had here.

Chapel Down Bacchus 2010, Kent, England

Very pale in the glass, with elderflower, melon and gooseberry fruit emerging on the nose, which also has a slightly blackcurrant leaf edge. It's lean and hollow on the palate, with slightly sweetened gooseberryish fruit coming through. It's not unpleasant, but does illustrate quite ruthlessly the effect of vintage on England's still wines in particular - 2010 was not one to remember, and I'm afraid nor is this wine.