I’m getting quite excited by the progress of English sparkling wine. Here’s another good one. Gusbourne Estate is one of the most highly reputed of the English producers, and they’ve got sizeable vineyard holdings: 40 hectares in Kent and 22 in West Sussex. Gusbourne was founded by Andrew Weeber in 2004, and first vintage was 2006. This 2010 is lovely: the style is one of approachability and relative richness.
Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2010 England
12% alcohol. Fresh, clean, pure with lovely citrus and pear fruit. Very refined with some subtle toastiness and a bit of white peach. Fine acidity with a fresh lemony edge. Sophisticated stuff. 91/100 (Stockist list here. This sample was from Oddbins)
I tried their Blanc de Blancs at the same time and thought it even better!
I’ve heard great things about the Bdb. It seems that Bdb sparkling wines are a particularly strong suit for English producers. Of the Nyetimber wines, it’s the one that ages best in my experience.
Jamie have you tried many of their library vintages? They’re doing vertical tastings in central London that will be certainly worth visiting. (1992-2007)
I was very impressed with their still Pinot Noir, too – I’ve struggled to find good English reds, but we’ve served it very successfully chilled over the summer by the glass as an elegant Beaujolais alternative.
The Pinot Noir is a favourite here – especially if left open for a day.