Hambledon Classic Cuvée NV

England’s oldest commercial vineyard was planted in 1952 and went on to release the first commercial range of English wines. Hambledon Vineyard now comprises over 200 acres of vineyards and the only gravity-fed, state-of-the-art winery in the UK. Their Classic Cuvee NV has Fresh sourdough, magnolia and lily scents mingling on the nose, with a hint of smoke over a core of greengage, red plums and dessert apples. The palate is vivid, almost vibrantly crunchy with precise, structured yet ripe acidity. It is linear, dense and long with momentum and power that bodes well for the future. This wine has energy and latent tension that will unfold to reveal layers of floral and stone fruit aromas and a rich palate with great length. The blend is 40% Chardonnay, 29% Pinot Noir, 31% Pinot Meunier, mostly from the 2014 harvest, with barrel aged reserve wine from 2010. All the grapes were pre-selected and handpicked from their own private estate. A second selection took place in the winery prior to pressing to ensure only the most mature grapes were used. Repeated tasting during pressing resulted in a low yield extraction: Hambledon sacrificed volume to maximize quality.

www.jancisrobinson.com tasting note: “Rich beautiful nose – deep and with real brioche flavours. Very faint toast. This is champagne-like: the race, the depth, the richness. Ripe peaches shot through with warm citrus acidity. Lemon-orange zest and cardamom spice linger on the finish. Persistent. Structured. Good Value.  17/20″ (Tamlyn Currin)