Hi Everyone,
English Sparkling Wine.
West Sussex.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day…
Some weeks ago I tasted nearly everything produced in the category, with nearly zero knowledge of producers, reputations, history, availability, or pricing. This sort of opportunity, where one could taste a category with such a naked lens, was a total thrill – It reminded me of my early days in the business where everything was new.
The quality was shockingly high across the board, except for a few “natty” projects (mostly pet nat) that were presumably being made for hipsters in Deptford.
Shame on us for not jumping into English bubbles some years ago? If we were to come up with an excuse it would be that the British Pound was too high against the dollar…
Today, one producer stood out from the pack.
Just who was it?
You’ve likely never heard of the property.
Ready?
Wiston Estate.
A family-owned operation through and through, Wiston Estate is located in the West Sussex equivalent of Champagne’s Cote des Blancs subregion: The chalky, flint-topped hills of South Downs, covering a tiny total of 12 hectares.
When tasting through these in the broader lineup, the immediate take was how RICH each release was compared to the other 30 wines open. After a phone call to Nick in the family barn, we learned that Wiston does something unheard of in the non-vintage segment – They age their NV Blanc de Blancs for THREE YEARS in tirage.
Don’t just take the excitement from me, take it from our favorite critic in the category, Vinous’ Neal Martin:
“The NV from Wiston has been a go-to English Sparkler for some time now…a steely, malic bouquet of dew-speckled Granny Smith apples, wet limestone and petrichor…the palate is full of tension thanks to the driving acidity…vivacious green apples intermixed with gooseberry and a touch of grapefruit.”
The cepage? The NV Blanc de Blancs (2019 base vintage!) is as expected from this area, 100% Chardonnay.
Today’s offer is major – This non-vintage release simply has no comparison in terms of character, novelty, and overall excitement!
Thank you for your support!
Sold as single 1 x 750ml bottles.
