Tidebrook Staddle Stone Chardonnay, Sussex

Description

Tidebrook Staddle Stone Chardonnay is an English white wine produced in East Sussex by Gary and Kathy Jordan. It is a barrel-fermented and matured English Chardonnay bottled as a Sussex Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Jordan Wines: South African Beginnings

Gary and Kathy Jordan took over Jordan Wines in Stellenbosch from Gary’s parents in 1993. They have since built Jordan Wines into a world-renowned wine estate and their flagship wines like Cobbler’s Hill and Nine Yards Chardonnay are highly sought after. Not content with conquering the wine world from South Africa, they have always had an eye on the UK. Since 2009 they have collaborated with Neleen Strauss in a London restaurant High Timber.

The Mousehall Estate

More recently, in 2017, the Jordans acquired an estate within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as part of their “retirement plan”. The Mousehall Estate is located on the northern outskirts of Mayfield in East Sussex. An old barn was converted into a distillery and winery in 2021, and they have been producing a Mousehall Sussex Dry Gin since then. Gary and Kathy’s daughter, Christy Jordan, is the head distiller.

About Tidebrook Wines

Tidebrook Wines is the name of the English wines that the Jordans produce. The estate is planted with the sparkling wine triumvirate of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (no doubt an English Sparkling Wine will follow). The first wines launched in the summer of 2024 were three still wines, all from the 2022 vintage.

The wines are Staddle Stone Chardonnay, a barrel-fermented and matured Chardonnay, Six Petals Rosé, a dry, lower alcohol (10.5%), made in a Côteaux Champenois style and The Tipping Point Pinot Noir, matured for 12 months in Burgundian oak. The wines are produced in very small quantities with the same incredible attention to detail that the Jordans apply to their South African wines.

Tidebrook Staddle Stone Chardonnay Winemaking

• Grapes for Tidebrook Staddle Stone Chardonnay are hand-harvested in the second week of October.
• After arriving at the winery, whole grape clusters are gently pressed in the Bucher X-Pro press and the juice is left to settle.
• The juice is then barrel-fermented in second-fill French oak barrels from Damy, Francois Freres, and Rousseau cooperages, previously used for Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay.
• The wine aged on lees for 12 months with regular barrel-rolling to enhance rich, lees-y character.
• Small proportion of tank-fermented wine blended in to boost fresh, citrus flavours.

What is a Staddle Stone?

The wine is named Staddle Stone after the mushroom-shaped stones that mark the boundaries of the vineyard, the same stones that are used to prop granaries up on to try and prevent animals getting at the grain.