British winemaking, generally speaking, may be epitomised by the succession of Blanc de Blancs amongst other styles of international sparkling, optimizing the origin characters of its terroir, by producing a clean and attractive wine, with sapid acidity. The consumer partiality to the style, alongside its method of production, have meant that Blanc de Blancs have become a premium British winemaking standard and a means for producers to infiltrate the premium market, once again, increasing the variability of the local offering.
Spanning a history of fifty years, Bolney has one of the richest histories of current UK wine producers, where their humble origins began with a planting of just 1000 vines, at a time where the estate was rivalled only by five other commercial vineyards across the whole of the country. This meant that Bolney quickly settled into their niche, learning and understanding the British market, from a place near to whence it began. Following suit of many others, the 80s had Bolney planting both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which proved rapidly to be the success that would establish their name as one of the pioneering wineries of British history.
Five vineyards make up the iconic estate; across 14ha, the team grow, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Dornfelder, Bacchus, and Rondo. Vines benefit from the Upper Tunbridge Wells soil structure, consisting mainly of sand, clay and loam: utilizing the heat with excellent absorbency, whilst remaining well-drained year round. Having maintained the vines here for near 50 years, the team are well versed in the trials of British winemaking and adopt a variety of trellis systems, unique to each particular vineyard, to avoid any harmful frosts decimating an otherwise excellent yield.
In recent years, technological advancements has meant that the winery can operate with more eco measures, that closely follow the brands green ethos. State of the art winery, built in 2019 is kitted out with up to date machinery, including a brand new disgorgement and bottling line, and run mainly by solar panelling.
Once grapes are of optimal condition and harvested, they are brought to the winery, where whole bunches are pressed and undergo a malolactic fermentation. There bottled, the wine spends 25 months with lees, prior to its being ready for sale. On the nose, the wine emits a perfume akin to the golden fields of British agriculture: straw, honey, elderberry, and dandelion, think all of the yellows of spring crop. On the palate, a prominent sweetness, in lemon sherbet, underlying green fruits, and a rich, coating acidity; delicate effervescence ties it all, tickling the tongue front to back. An exceptional example of Blanc de Blancs and the embodiment of British wine history, magnifying the ameliorations of its humble origin.
Somm Coull 