English Still Wines
Simpsons Wine Estate Gravel Castle Chardonnay 2022
Citrus aromas with tropical fruit flavours and a smooth texture
Made from exclusively estate grown grapes, the Gravel Castle Chardonnay is a zesty, fruit driven and un-oaked Chardonnay, created from Burgundian still wine clones. It displays delicate aromas of white melon and orange blossom, with superb mouth-watering minerality, citrus peel, quince and fresh green apple flavours and a lingering, textured palate.
Burgundian Chardonnay clones 96 and 548 were carefully harvested from the Roman Road and Railway Hill vineyards. The grapes were then gently pressed and the juice was cold settled for 24 hours. Once racked, the juice was inoculated with aromatic yeasts. The wine underwent a partial malolactic fermentation to soften the acidity and increase mouthfeel. The wine was aged on fine yeast lees prior to bottling in spring 2023.
The Simpsons’ vineyards occupy glorious positions on the sunny, sheltered slopes of the North Downs of Kent, protected from the whimsy of the English climate by ancient woodland and anchored in the iconic chalky soils so highly revered in the world of both still and sparkling wine. On their French wine estate, the award-winning Domaine Sainte Rose in the Languedoc region, the Simpsons have always pursued the cleaner, truer flavours of the grape, and are now bringing this savoir-faire to their English vineyards. With rootstock meticulously matched to the soil and a new world-class winery just minutes from the vines, quality is the watchword.
