English Sparkling Wines
Saffron Grange Vineyard Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé 2018
Peaches and cream, strawberry sherbet, white pepper, mmm
Rose gold in colour, this sensuous sparkling wine has aromas of ripe red berries and candied red apple on the nose, leading to stone fruits and strawberry sherbet on the palate. It finishes with a hint of white pepper spice. This Sparkling Rosé is 100% Pinot Noir, with the colour from a short maceration on the skins, rather than being a blend of red and white base wines, as is often the case in Champagne. This has allowed the delicate Pinot Noir phenolics to come to the fore, and resulted in a fragrant and sophisticated wine. Saffron Grange is a family-run vineyard on the outskirts of the historic market town of Saffron Walden in North-West Essex. Their land is on the same chalk seam as Champagne, and situated on a gentle south-facing slope. Together with the cool, dry climate, the conditions are perfect for growing the highest quality grapes – and the family are perfectionists about turning these into the highest quality sparkling wines.
www.jancisrobinson.com review: Absolutely delightful. It’s so seldom that I just fall head over heels for a sparkling wine on the sole basis that it is simply delicious. No genuflecting to Krug or Billecart, no wannabe-Cristal winemaking attempts. Just a trugful of fresh-picked raspberries, the chalk and sherbet of alpine strawberries, a gauzy, lacy network of perfectly formed bubbles. As thirst-quenching as red-apple sorbet. And absolutely brilliant with food. One of the most food-friendly English sparkling wines I’ve ever had. I could drink this all summer… Very Good Value 17/20 (Tamlyn Currin)
