What it tastes like:
vanilla and citrus
Where it comes from:
25 year old Chardonnay vines grown at Greyfriars, situated on the Hog's Back (North Downs) at Puttenham just outside Guildford, Surrey
Other info:
11.5% vol. 75cl, 2014, Chardonnay grapes
traditional Champagne method
Greyfriars - Blanc de Blancs Oaked
" Greyfriars was originally planted in 1989 and has been producing great grapes and wines for over 20 years. We took over in late 2010 with the aim of expanding the vineyard dramatically, producing stunning English sparkling wine and building a state of the art winery, cellar and tasting room. We are well on the way to that goal.
We have planted over 40 acres of new vines, predominantly the three classical Champagne grape varieties; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This will enable us to create a small range of spectacular English sparkling wines reflecting the unique local soil conditions, climate and heritage of the Surrey North Downs. The Downs in southern England are blessed with similar geological and soil conditions to the Champagne region in France. At Greyfriars we have a clay/loam topsoil over several hundred feet of wonderful free draining Cretaceous chalk. The chalk was originally deposited over a hundred million years ago when this entire area was submerged under a tropical sea. The highest part of the estate offers splendid views towards the South Downs and east towards Guildford and beyond.
We are now in November 2014 having released our 2011 Rosé Reserve to great acclaim and winning 3 awards in the process, the first wine made entirely by our own fair hands. We released two more vintages in 2014, the 2012 Sparkling Rosé and the 2011 Blanc de Blancs with a further two Still Wines, a Pinot Noir and a Sauvignon Blancs as well as Sparkling Sauvignon to come in the New Year. By the end of the decade we will be producing 100,000 bottles a year. "