Hambledon Vineyard Premiere Cuvee

Description

Hambledon Vineyard Premiere Cuvee is the flagship Hampshire Sparkling wine from Hambledon Vineyard and was first released in 2015.

Hambledon Vineyard is England’s oldest commercial vineyard and is just starting to release their superb sparkling wine after a number of years of investment, vineyard planting and the building of a 100% gravity flow winery. The grapes for this wine are all estate-grown from vineyards on the South East facing chalky slopes of Windmill Hill in the village of Hambledon. The grapes are all hand-picked and undergo a double selection for quality – once in in the vineyard and once before pressing.

Hambledon Vineyard Premiere Cuvee is a carefully blended selection of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with the addition of some specially matured reserve wines. The actual cuvee is 58% Chardonnay, 24% Pinot Noir and 18% Pinot Meunier (correct as of Autumn 2017). It is a blend of 2 different vintages with around 2 to 3% of the wines fermented in specially selected French oak barrels to add complexity and structure. Malolactic fermentation took place to soften the minerality. The wine is aged for a minimum of 36 months on the lees prior to disgorgement. Dosage is 8 g/L.

The blend was carefully developed under the guidance of Hervé Jestin. Hervé is one of the most famous oenologists in Champagne and has been Chef de Caves at Chamapagne Duval Leroy for 20 years.