Simpsons Wine Estate Derringstone Blanc de Noir Pinot Meunier 2023

Created from exclusively estate grown Pinot Meunier grapes, this intriguing and truly unique ‘blanc de noirs’ has been vinified as a white wine. This is the sixth release of this hugely gastronomic wine, so coveted by sommeliers. This vintage displays a pale gold hue, lightly tinged with a delicate pink, and offers a luxurious finish.

On the nose, it is reminiscent of a Kentish orchard in the spring, with inviting aromas of pear and apple dancing with white blossom notes. On the palate there are hints of pear and red winter berries with a luxuriously mouth-filling texture and bright finish.

Pinot Meunier grapes from the Railway Hill vineyard, overlooking the picturesque hamlet of Derringstone, were picked and carefully pressed. The juice settled for 48 hours before racking, underwent a long, slow primary fermentation using aromatic yeasts and completed full malolactic fermentation. The wine rested over the winter months on fine lees in stainless steel tanks to build depth and palate weight before 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.