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Wiston Blanc de Blancs

Wiston Estate Blanc de Blancs

WHY WE LOVE IT

  • The Wiston Blanc de Blancs NV is delightfully fresh with vibrant acidity and impeccable balance. Crisp green apple and delicate notes of kumquat are leading the way with flinty minerality. The wine finishes soft, crisp and clean.
  • The vines grow in the heart of the estate, on sites selected for their combination of soils, microclimate and aspect. The first vineyard was planted in 2006 on flint-scattered soils over a chalk base.
  • Having much in common with the revered Côtes des Blancs region of Champagne, the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines are able to root deeply into this harsh unforgiving soil. This challenging growing environment is what forces the vines to produce the desired characteristics of both the land and the grape variety.
  • Wiston uses sustainable farming practices.

Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay

Elaboration: The Chardonnay grapes are hand harvested in late autumn and are pressed as whole bunches. The juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks before being allowed to rest on its yeast lees for eight months, before being bottled the summer following harvest. At bottling, a portion of our reserve wines (which date back to 2008) is added to make up 20-30% of the final blend. The wine then undergoes slow secondary fermentation in bottle, and is kept on its lees, at cool 9-11°C for around three to four years, allowing it to mature and take on flavors and structure through the process of autolysis. The bottles were riddled and disgorged, with a dosage of 8g/l.

Tasting Notes: Delightfully fresh with vibrant acidity and impeccable balance. Crisp green apple notes alongside white blossom, grapefruit and lemon zest. Delicate notes of kumquat are leading the way with flinty minerality with a hint of patisserie softness. The wine finishes crisp, clean and refreshing.

PRESS

NV – 96 Wine Enthusiast | 92 Wine Advocate | 92 Decanter | 91 Vinous

PRODUCER BACKGROUND

Wiston Estate has remained in the Goring family since 1743. It is now owned by Pip and Harry Goring and managed by son Richard and his wife Kirsty. The family produces sparkling wines in West Sussex, England, less than six miles from the English Channel and about a two-hour drive south of London. The winery is situated among the rolling hills, valleys, and steep escarpments of the South Downs, where two thousand years ago Romans first grew grapes on the soft, chalky slopes.

It was Pip’s dream to establish the winery, evoking memories of her South African childhood. Besides producing their award-winning wines, they contract their renowned winemaking skills to other grape growers. They have gained a “royal’ reputation – Wiston Estate Brut NV was used by Her Majesty Elizabeth II to christen the yacht Britannia.

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Print Review Shelf Talker (NV – 92 Wine Advocate)