I’ve long maintained that Nyetimber’s Blanc de Blancs is not only their best wine, but one of England’s best-value traditional-method sparkling wines. Described by Jancis Robinson MW as a ‘miracle vintage’ and perhaps the best of the modern era, 2018’s warm, dry summer helped produce a record crop of outstanding quality and quantity.
We’re thrilled to be working alongside Nyetimber to offer this exciting release, and while we can attest to its deliciousness now, we’re certain of its ability to age and develop further for at least another decade – and members are encouraged to have the patience to allow it to do so. Magnums are also available.
Order by midday Thursday 1st October
After the 2016 iteration of Nyetimber’s Blanc de Blancs became the first non-Champagne wine to win Champion Sparkling Wine at the International Wine Challenge, and the high-quality yet small 2017 vintage, the 2018 had a lot to live up to – but husband-and-wife team Cherie Spriggs and Brad Greatrix have surpassed all expectations with this stunning vintage.
Nyetimber is the largest owner of vineyards in the UK and utilises sites from across the south of England to construct what is surely one of the UK’s most consistent and outstanding Blanc de Blancs. With 53% of the grapes sourced from the chalk soils of Chalkvale and Hazeldown in Hampshire, and 47% from the greensand sites of Manor (their oldest chardonnay vines right next to the Nyetimber property in Sussex) and Tillington (the site that gives its name to Nyetimber’s pinot-dominant premium cuvée), the wine shows a stunning balance of crisp citrus and salinity from the chalk, and breadth and perfume from the greensand.
Having spent just over six years on the yeast lees and been disgorged in February this year, the wine shows exceptional poise and concentration, with the trademark English acid line streaking like an arrow through the concentrated, delicate, yet opulent palate. Three per cent of the wine was fermented in new French oak, giving a touch of spice, but the purity and precision of the fruit is the star here.
