Hattingley Valley Blanc de Blancs 2013

Hattingley Valley is a family-owned business located in Hampshire specialising in premium English sparkling wines. Alongside Emma Rice the Robinson family planned the modern, eco-friendly winery in Wield that was completed in 2010. It uses the latest technology and equipment from continental Europe, has sophisticated waste disposal facilities and was the first UK winery to adopt solar power. The vines are nurtured throughout the growing year with an environmentally-sensitive approach to viticulture ensuring optimum ripeness, yield and quality of fruit. This wine has a lovely deep gold colour with a green hue and a fine mousse. The nose has delicate white fruit that gives way to a rich toasty and honeyed charm. The palate is beautifully balanced and complex – ripe apples with a crisp yet soft acidity that is balanced by a hint of oak influence. A rich and rounded mouth-feel and long finish. It has great ageing potential. Approximately 10% of the wine was fermented in old Burgundy barrels and no malolactic fermentation took place to ensure that the zesty acidity shines through. The wine spent eight months in tank and barrel before undergoing secondary fermentation in the bottle, and four years ageing on its lees in order to soften the acidity and gain critical lees-aged character. There were also at least 5 months on cork before release. WineGB Gold medal winner 2019.

www.jancisrobinson.com tasting note: “Lovely melon and citrus fruit on the nose, a bit of yoghurt and cream. Smoky and compact, lots of citrus and zestiness on the mid-palate – really rich citrus, like poached lemon and orange peel and key lime pie topped with oatmeal. Crunchy with a fantastically geometric, firm finish. No nonsense. Good stuff. 16.5+/20” (Tamlyn Currin)