Wiston Estate South Downs Brut (NV) 750mL

ENGLAND : SOUTH DOWNS

SUSTAINABLE : Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier

MED-BODIED, GREEN APPLE, WET LIMESTONE, TOASTED BRIOCHE, GOOSEBERRY, NO OAK

Wiston Estate sits on the South Downs chalk escarpment in West Sussex, under 10 miles from the English Channel — a pocket the family calls the Banana Belt for its unusually warm, dry microclimate. The Goring family has held this land since 1743, but the vineyard is recent: Pip Goring planted the first block in 2006, and her son Richard now runs the estate with his wife, Kirsty.

This bottling blends Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier in close-to-equal parts, base-fermented in stainless steel and built from a reserve library dating back to Wiston's first 2008 vintage. Traditional-method tirage runs a minimum of three years on the lees — well past Champagne's legal floor — with dosage held to 8 grams per liter.

Wine Enthusiast called it a classic example of the stellar quality of English fizz (95 pts); Decanter's Susie Barrie MW found gentle cream and yeast aromas over crisp green apples and freshly baked bread (93 pts).

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