English Red Wines
Simpsons Wine Estate Rabbit Hole Pinot Noir 2020
Dark cherry and smoky oak aromas, hints of mocha, elegant tannins, tangy, black fruit flavours, freshly ground coffee
We are delighted to share with you Simpson’s third vintage of their Rabbit Hole Pinot Noir. Exuding a true sense of place, this single vineyard still Pinot Noir is created from fruit specifically selected for its maturity and concentration. This purple-hued wine displays dark cherry and smoky oak aromas, with hints of mocha. The elegant tannins are complimented by tangy, black fruit flavours and undertones of freshly ground coffee. This light and expressive Kentish red wine has gained a cult following over the previous two vintages and swiftly sells out. The 2020 vintage proved to be excellent for Pinot Noir and we are certain this latest release will both delight devotees and win-over new fans. Low yielding Burgundian Pinot Noir clone 115 grapes were hand picked during the superb 2020 harvest. They were carefully hand sorted and de-stemmed directly into fermenters via gravity. Once inoculated, the grapes were gently pumped over once a day for a period of 2 weeks. Once the primary fermentation was complete, the wine was drained off its skins into 2-year-old French oak barrels, where it underwent malolactic fermentation. After three months ageing in barrels, the wine was lightly filtered and bottled in spring 2021. 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.
