Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2015

This cuvée comes from Nyetimber’s vineyards in West Sussex, in the south of England. Set in rolling countryside under a cool maritime influence, the vines benefit from slow ripening, which favours tension and precision in the Chardonnay. The plots lie on chalk and flint soils that give the wine a clear mineral expression. This southern English terroir, geologically close to certain parts of Champagne, lends the sparkling wine a luminous elegance, finely chiselled acidity and remarkable purity of fruit.

The grapes were picked in mid-October, after a season that yielded healthy, ripe berries with good acidity. Made using the traditional method, this blanc de blancs undergoes its second fermentation in bottle. It then benefits from long ageing on the lees, of around five to six years, which develops its autolytic complexity, creamy texture and pastry-like hints. The available information does not specify the vessels used to vinify the base wines.

This wine reveals notes of white flowers and lime, extended by hints of citrus zest, fresh pastry and brioche. A touch of toast and a thread of chalky minerality complete this refined bouquet. The palate is fine and slender, carried by delicate yet energetic bubbles. Lively acidity balances a silky texture, while the long, complex finish retains a lovely saline and toasty intensity.

England, a country better known for its green landscapes and rainy climate than for viticulture, nonetheless has a booming wine industry whose reputation keeps on growing. Long regarded as a curiosity, English viticulture has established itself in recent decades as a source of very high-quality sparkling wines, even rivalling some Champagnes in blind tastings. English vineyards are mainly concentrated in the south of the country, in the counties of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey and Essex, each enjoying climatic conditions and soils particularly suited to certain grape varieties. Sussex is today England's most renowned wine region, famous for its sparkling wines made by the traditional method from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The chalk soils running through the region, a direct geological extension of the Champagne terroir, combined with an increasingly favourable climate, create ideal conditions for these demanding grapes. Kent, nicknamed the “Garden of England”, is home to some of the country's most established estates, producing both highly refined sparkling wines and still whites based on Bacchus, an aromatic grape variety that has become emblematic of the English style. Hampshire and Surrey, though more modest in terms of output, are gaining in energy and recognition, with innovative estates experimenting with traditional methods as well as international grape varieties suited to a cool climate. Essex, more continental, enjoys generous sunshine and low rainfall, which favour a slow, steady ripening of the grapes, essential to the elegance of sparkling wines. English wines, still produced in limited quantities but with remarkable attention to detail and rigour, are mainly consumed on the home market or exported in small volumes to discerning markets, making them true treasures for curious wine lovers eager to discover a new face of European viticulture. England is today a country where traditional know-how and climate innovation meet in the vineyard, offering a surprising, authentic and resolutely forward-looking wine experience.