Nyetimber has established itself as the market leader when it comes to fine English fizz. With impressive vineyard holdings that these days span across West Sussex in to Hampshire, they have attracted a great deal of international acclaim. Celebrated for the highest quality winemaking methods and long lees aging, the team here are delighted to go back to their roots with the Blanc de Blancs 2014 release. This is “back to the roots” in the sense that it is a single vintage produced from 100% Chardonnay, just as they did in the early 1990s. Derived from 83% chalk based vineyards and 17% green sand, the 2014 spent five years on the lees and a further year and a half in the cellar post-disgorgement. The dosage is a well-integrated 9g/l, which supports a crisp, red apple and floral, citrus-styled sparkling wine with plenty of subtle biscuit and toasted notes. It’s more than pretty enough to drink on its own, and also has enough substance to also enjoy with food.
At only £30 per bottle in bond, this comes recommended.
Read MoreThe 2014 Blanc de Blancs was bottled in March 2015 and disgorged in March 2020 and is due to hit the market in 2021. There is a touch more red fruit here, hints of white strawberries joining the defined honeysuckle and yellow plum scents. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh, and quite linear, as a Blanc de Blancs should be, with a little more salinity coming through on the pear and greengage finish compared to the 2013. – 92pts, Neal Martin.
The subtle nose opens with hints of wet chalk and ripe Amalfi lemon. That wonderfully ripe, brisk, lemon ripeness also pervades the palate where the fine mousse highlights the chalky depth of the wine, its rounded fruit and a textural quality that seems to come with a hint of dried corn husk. This strikes a lovely balance that makes most of England’s briskness and Nyetimber’s famed sense of balance. There is depth and length and much elegance. – 95pts, Anne Krebiehl, Falstaff International.
This wine will be available for delivery from the end of September.