Decanter says:
The UK category is always a focus of great interest during our second week of judging – so there was excitement among the Co-Chairs when it became clear that, for the first time, a rosé sparkler was the English wine which had fought its way through to our Best In Show selection. A sign of climate change? Perhaps: red grapes are ever-easier to ripen here. But perhaps its success is also a function of the complex blend crafted by the winemaker – one that includes Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir Précoce (Frühburgunder in Germany) as seasoning for the 61 per cent of Chardonnay, the 23 per cent of Pinot Noir and the 9 per cent of Pinot Meunier. Whatever the reason, we found the wine hard to resist. Its petal pink couldn’t look prettier in the glass, while the aromatic fruits are satisfyingly restrained and subtle, and the palate clean and emphatic. The English-season acidity – always prominent, but satisfyingly ripe here — is lent interest by a mineral-salt undertow as well as a soft sherbet charm.
They gave it 97 points – their top British sparkling score ever.
It’s 61% Chardonnay, 23% Pinot Noir, 9% Pinot Meunier.
