Giffords Hall Madeleine Angevine 2019

Establishing itself as one of the UK signature varietals, Madeleine Angevine is a very distinctive early ripening grape with a thin skin and a very floral, delicate character. It grows with great exuberance here and often overcrops unless managed well in the vineyard. Giffords Hall are one of the biggest UK producers of Madeleine Angevine, described by one Master of Wine as “aromatic, floral, usually smells like an English garden after a spring/summer shower”. Madeleine Angevine is originally a Loire valley grape, but this clone came from Switzerland and is known as the ‘Chasselas of the north’. Giffords Hall is a family owned vineyard planted on the site of an ancient glacial riverbed near Long Melford in Suffolk. Their sandy/clay soil produces quality grapes, high in natural sugars and acids, that lend themselves particularly well to both sparkling and dry, aromatic still wines. The vineyard was planted around 25 years ago and the vines are now in their prime.