Sussex Wines
Every wine selected by our Master of Wine for quality assurance
Sussex is gaining a tremendous reputation for both their still and sparkling wines. Here, our Master of Wine, Clive Barlow has selected some of the finest examples of wines which come from both small and large vineyards. Whether it is an organic wine from the superb Oxney vineyard, a fabulous example of a Bacchus from Kingscote or a Pinot Gris from Stopham there will be a wine which will truly impress. We have also created a Sussex Box for you which demonstrates some of the wonderful wines that are available if you would like to try a selection. All wines will come with details on the wine itself, the vineyard and tasting notes so you can really get to know your Sussex wine.
It is certainly an individual style and not a simple wine, there is complexity and texture, length and balance in this characterful wine.
The Limney Estate 2014 is a vibrant organic English Sparkling wine, created with a blend of Chardonnay (50%), Pinot Noir (26%) and Meunier (24%). The wine undergoes a long ageing on the lees before released and so has a terrific autolytic depth and is a rich, dry flavoursome wine. It is certainly an individual style and not a simple wine. There is complexity and texture, length and balance in this characterful wine.
One of the key reasons for our Master of Wine to choose the Limney Estate 2014 is the length on the lees. One of the major factors in determining the quality and style of a traditional method sparkling wine is the length of time on the lees. Many wines are made with 18 months in contact with the lees, in Champagne the minimum is 15 months, in order to allow the break down of yeast cells and the development of flavours derived from yeast. This development of yeast characters is known as autolysis. High quality, traditional fizz will usually undergo a long period, at least 24 to 30 months on the lees. Increasing the top English sparkling wines have extended periods on the yeast. The Limney Estate wine has five years on the lees, resulting in a richer autolytic character and also a better integration of the acidity and development of fruit
The Limney Estate is owned by England’s leading organic wine producer, Will Davenport. The first vineyard was planted in 1991 at Horsmonden, Kent and, as the operation developed, Will moved to a winery over the border in East Sussex at Rotherfield. The fruit comes from vineyards around Horsmonden and Rotherfield. Today, the vineyards cover 24 acres of land and grow vines for both still and sparkling wine. The vineyards were converted to organic farming from 2000 and all the wines are now certified by the Soil Association.
ABV: 11.5%
Vegan Friendly
Sussex Wine
Subtle fruits of cream, pastry and apple sauce with a fine gentle mousse; exquisite.
Fox and Fox is situated near the village of Mayfield in East Sussex and lies toward the southern edge of the High Weald. This area, famed for its natural beauty, has a range of soils which is dominated by the Tonbridge and Ashdown Sands. Fox and Fox have two vineyards, Hobden and Lakestreet, which have different soils and aspects. The grapes for the Pinot Gris based ‘Inspiration’ Brut 2014 came from the slightly warmer Lakestreet Vineyard.
The owners of Fox and Fox, Jonica and Gerard Fox, grow Pinot Gris because it produces a glorious juice with elevated natural sugars. It is spiced and aromatic; our cool climate allowing us to retain those subtle hints of ginger and the floral aromatic notes within the wine when we make it. Pinot Gris constitutes about 6% of our plantings. The couple were so convinced of the quality of the fruit from the 2013 vintage that they decided to created a unique cuvée, the first sparkling Pinot Gris in the UK, and pretty rare in the world. This was repeated with the 2014 vintage which has gone on to received great critical acclaim.
In 2014 the spring was one of the wettest on record. It does not bother the vine too much if there is plenty of rain whilst it is dormant in winter and early spring. In fact, there is the benefit of a subsoil holding water for the rest of the year. The bud-burst came around mid-April and, importantly, there were no frosts so the vines got away to a late but healthy start. June, July, August and September were all warm and dry allowing a steady ripening of the fruit with a harvest planned for mid-October. A cool and wet period at the end of September forced an earlier than planned picking due to the risk of dilution and falling acidity. The resulting crop was according to the producer “one of the best crops in many years and the fruit flavours were luscious”
This wine really delivers plenty of character and style. It proves that, in the right hands, Pinot Gris can produce great wine. It delivers an intensity of aromatics with cream, fresh pastry. Roasted nuts and cooked apple, with some fresh pear too. This is definitely worth several sniffs as it reveals more and more complexity as it opens up. The palate mirrors the depth of flavour and adds yellow plum, white peach, butterscotch and more. Whilst rich, the wine has a cut of acidity to bring balance and freshness to the umami richness. There is a fine gentle mousse throughout and a long finish. This is high quality wine indeed, one of the best.
Food Pairing Ideas: Wine this flavourful can be sipped on its own but will partner a rich dish such as chicken with morels or truffle.
ABV: 11.5%
Sussex Wine
Carries gentle pink fruits with a floral note on a moreish, long, dangerously accessible palate.
The Oxney Sparkling Rosé is a delicious, fresh, dry, gently-foaming wine. One can find delicate aromas of raspberry, peach and lemon on the nose and palate along with a light lees richness. The wine is bottle fermented and has extra weight due to the extended lees contact but is made to give a fresh, youthful mouthful.
This organic estate is East Sussex, between Rye and Tenterden, is one of England’s most southerly vineyards and one of the few which is run on organic principles. The soils are of sand and loam over a clay subsoil. The upper levels of the soil are therefore free draining and poor in nutrients whilst the clay below can hold water in the drier months of the year.
“Quite a revelation. The Oxney rose was probably the among best fizz I have tasted with much more character than many others.” - David Taylor
“Love this. I can imagine taking this on a picnic and drinking with strawberries and cream!“ - Lucy Jackson
Food Pairing Ideas: Will match a range of canapés as well as fish dishes.
ABV: 11.5%
Vegan Friendly
Sussex Wine
Complex and rich with spice, cranberry and umami weight. Vinous style, fine effervescence.
Once in a while there comes along a wine which really appreciates the art of patience and slow living.
The Ambriel Rosé 2015 is not only wonderful on its own but it’s fabulous with food, with a soft and gentle mousse. It is also rather special, using only Pinot Noir rather than a blend of grapes and coupled with the fact that the vines are grown on greensand, which is highly prized for vineyards, this wine clearly demonstrates the creativity and skill of the winemaker whilst the grapes are grown on an excellent terroir.
The Ambriel Rosé has a depth and succulence with a firm core of acidity which nicely balances the nuanced red berry fruit and spice of the Pinot Noir.
The owners, Wendy and Charles Outhwaite, took five years to find the site, which was purchased and planted to vines in 2006, and now produce a range of fine, award-winning sparkling wine. The 9.5 ha site is quite special in that it sits atop a scarp face overlooking the Downs, and whilst it offers a spectacular view, there are a couple of benefits from the slope and height. Firstly, the south facing slope gives better sunlight, for both warmth and heat, and secondly, the slope reduces the risk of frost.
“Pink with bubbles in vintage glasses. What more do you need? Thank you Corkk for a wonderful selection!” - Philippa Elliott
Food Pairing Ideas: This is a serious wine, a sipping glass of bubbles, and one that will partner foods very well. The depth and structure will allow this to go with tuna, chicken, and salmon dishes. It can also work with cheeses. He says, “So, take the plunge and create a supper of Chicken and morels followed by an epoisse and enjoy the Redfold Ambriel rosé.”
ABV: 11%
Sussex Wine
Complex and engaging with creamy mousse, fine balance of yellow fruits and brioche.
Clive became incredibly excited when he first tasted the 2014 Classic Cuvée and wasn’t surprised when he found out that the wine had received a high score from Decanter magazine. It received 95 points, the highest scoring English wine and an equal score to Krug 2006 (selling at £ 223.00) . It just proves that our wine can be very good value.
The Ambriel Classic Cuvée MV which we are offering is a very special wine. It is special because it is one of those English wines which makes it clear that we can produce world beating wine which reflect its origins but also meets the quality criteria of fine wine around the globe. The Ambriel Classic Cuvée is a non- vintage, or multi-vintage, wine based on the 2014 vintage and is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Meunier.
The wine delivers a gentle yet persistent range of fresh and cooked apple, brioche, nut and oatmeal with an appetising character. The palate is vibrant and integrated with a rich savoury style lifted by apple and pear fruit. The mousse is gentle and caressing, the finish long and satisfying.
The family-run vineyard consists of 9.5 hectares on sunny south-facing greensand slopes overlooking the South Downs in West Sussex. The position of the site offers a degree of protection against frost and excellent exposure to the sun whilst the greensand is free draining, so affording good drainage and a relatively dry micro-climate in the vineyard. According to Charles and Wendy Outhwaite, the owners, it took them 5 years to find the right site, a similar challenge which faced their near neighbour, Nyetimber, when they set up their vineyard in the 1990s.
The estate is focussed on producing high quality, sparking wine; no still wines are made here, and they only use estate grown fruit. It is, they believe, the only way to maintain strict quality control and deliver a wine which truly reflects the vineyard terroir. The estate has been carbon neutral for a number of years.
Food Pairing Ideas: A wine to savour, a wine to partner a wide range of canapés but also heavy enough to partner tuna, salmon or even veal.
ABV: 11%
Sussex Wine
The perfect English wine box to help celebrate the joy of Summer!
Ashling Park Cuvée: The aromatics display plenty of autolytic characters, biscuit, brioche, plus citrus notes and apple and honey. There is a depth to the aromatics not often found which promises a fulsome palate and long finish. On the palate there is the expected depth but great harmony and a fine mousse. The wine has one of the longest I have experienced in English sparkling wine and it is one of the balanced wines you will find.
Oxney Sparkling Rosé: If you are looking for a rosé which will delight and surprise in equal measure, then the Oxney Sparkling Rosé is the wine. The sparkling rosé is delicious, fresh, dry and gently-foaming. One can find delicate aromas of raspberry, peach and lemon on the nose and palate along with a light lees richness. The wine is bottle fermented and has extra weight due to the extended lees contact but is made to give a fresh, youthful mouthful.
Simpsons Chalklands Classic Cuvée: Fine vinous nose offering toast, light citrus fruits and a mineral edge, fresh youthful and bright. The palate shows a ready accessibility, eager gentle mousse with a weight of fine ripe citrus and floral notes. There is a pleasing toast/ brioche character and a flinty fresh finish. The wine retains the ‘purity and elegance’ character of the Simpsons’ wines.
The Sussex box is one of our favourites, which exceptional examples of wine the South East is now producing. All the wines have been curated and selected by Clive Barlow, our resident Master of Wine and all boxes include his notes on the wines.
Hidden Spring Bacchus Fumé 2019: There is the connotation that the wine is related to Pouilly Fumé but ‘Fumé’ relates to the light use of oak in the wine making process (the term was first coined by Mondavi in California to describe his Sauvignon Blanc which had been aged in oak vessels). The wine has a beautiful aromatic character delivering lime, green apple and honeysuckle whilst the palate offers more jasmine and some tropical fruit notes. In addition, the palate is dry, fresh and also rounded and textured. There is a fine harmony of oak spice and creaminess through lees work. The oak is well integrated and allows the fruit to come through.
The Bolney Pinot Gris 2018: This wine comes from one of the oldest wine estates in England and they have perfected the craft of making superb, award winning wines, including this superb wine, which was awarded a silver medal at the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards. The wine has a light aromatic nose of pear and nutmeg leading to a dry ripe palate. It is an engaging wine, moreish with a refreshing finish and light fruit notes. The wine will be eminently suitable as an aperitif but also partner pork or chicken dishes, especially those with light spices or mild curries. The palate weight will admirably match the meat aspect and the gentle fruits will work well with lighter spiced dishes.
Oxney Sparkling Rosé: If you are looking for a rosé which will delight and surprise in equal measure, then the Oxney Sparkling Rosé is the wine. The sparkling rosé is delicious, fresh, dry and gently-foaming. One can find delicate aromas of raspberry, peach and lemon on the nose and palate along with a light lees richness. The wine is bottle fermented and has extra weight due to the extended lees contact but is made to give a fresh, youthful mouthful.
3 Bottles = 1 bottle of each
6 Bottles = 2 bottles of each
12 Bottles = 4 bottles of each
Spring is here, with our fruity and floral selection of wine from Kent and Sussex. The Dillions English Bacchus is from a family run vineyard and holds wonderful floral notes with a elegant tropical feel. The off dry Biddenden Ortega from Kent’s oldest vineyard has a delicate balance of grapefruit and apple. The Heppington Pinot Gris recently won a Gold Medal at the London Wine Awards . Three bright, fresh and gorgeous English wines to celebrate the warmer weather. Hello Spring!!!
Dillions Bacchus: The wine has a wonderfully delicate floral, citrus and green apple scent which follows through on the fresh, well-balanced palate. There is a sense of harmony and grace with this wine which makes it a superb aperitif and a super partner for light salads or more nuanced Thai fish dishes.
Biddenden Ortega: The wine is a crowd pleaser and has been enjoyed by wine drinkers for many decades. It is dry, rounded with a fresh acidity enlivening a palate heavy with flavours of pear, herbs, coriander and yellow apple. There is the merest hint of fruit sweetness which makes this a wine to enjoy cheeses and lightly spiced foods.
Heppington Pinot Gris: The wine is pale and star bright with a fresh nose of apple and pear leading to a crisp, balanced palate. The fruits are citrus and pear with a hint of tropical mango and pineapple, the acidity is keen, the wine vibrant. It is a great aperitif but a super partner for seafood, try with calamari, white bait or delicate white fish such as plaice or dover sole.