Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvee Brut 37.5cl half bottle

Description

Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvee Brut presented in a 37.5cl half bottle.

Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvee Brut is an English sparkling wine produced from vineyards located around the village of Hambledon in Hampshire.

Hambledon Vineyard is England’s oldest commercial vineyard. It was founded in 1952 by Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, a trailblazer for English wine-making. The vineyard passed through a couple of owners until Ian Kellett acquired the vineyard in 1999. Ian would eventually go on to study wine-making at Plumpton College and, in 2005, convinced that sparkling wine production was the way forward in the UK, a 10-acre ‘test bed’ of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier was planted on a combination of 27 different vine clones and rootstocks to see which gave the best results. In 2023 the estate was acquired by a consortium consisting of the UK’s oldest wine and spirits merchants, Berry Bros & Rudd, and Symington Family Estates, owners of Cockburns, Dows, Grahams, Warres et al.

The estate comprises some 200 acres of vineyards, spread over numerous sites, which are situated on chalky slopes around the village of Hambledon. This area is divided into three vineyards consisting of 30 individual plots with differing terroirs and microclimates. The chalk of the South Downs is an extension of the chalky soils in Champagne. The Belemnite chalk on which the vines grow was formed on the seabed of the Paris basin some 65 million years ago and is found in the best Chardonnay areas of the Côtes des Blancs in Champagne. The grapes are hand-picked and undergo a double selection for quality, once in the vineyard, and once before pressing at the only gravity-fed, state-of-the-art winery which allows for wines to be made with the minimal possible intervention. As of spring 2025, Hambledon produces five cuvées, a Classic Brut and Rosé, a Premiere Cuvée Brut and Rosé, and the latest addition, a Blanc de Blancs.

The assemblage for the Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvee Brut is 52% Chardonnay, 32% Pinot Noir and 17% Pinot Meunier. The wine is a blend of two vintages. A small percentage of the reserve wines are barrel fermented in small French oak barrels to add extra complexity to the cuvee. The wine is fermented in stainless steel vats and is then left to settle for 6 months before blending with the reserve wines and bottling. Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvee Brut is aged for a minimum of 35 months on lees in their cellars dug into the chalk downs.

Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvee Brut is also available in 75 cl bottles and 1.5 Litre magnums.