Lovely to meet up with board member Lionel Nierop and his significant other Tish in Portland this evening. We met at Bar Avignon and Lionel brought along a bottle of sparkling from their home country. My first English wine and it was quite good.
NV Nyetimber Brut Classic Cuvée
From grapes grown in Sussex, south of London. Soils apparently very close to Champagne.
Pale in the glass with a good mousse, perhaps showing a bit more toast and age than I expected, then so chalky and deliciously austere. Terrific acidity. A slightly more oxidative style than I anticipated but this is really nice.
these folks have been very good for quite a while now;
was drinking them during an extended sojourn in Oxford coupla years back –
Champagne quality, Champagne prices but something refreshingly distinctive and unchampagne about Nyetimber
Looks like Flickinger only has the rose right now. Solano cellars in Berkley looks like your best bet or wine.com if you dont want to get the min qty. They dont sell it in my state but maybe will pick up a btl next time I am in Ma.
Thanks all, I’m checking out some options, more wanting to taste more English sparkling than load up on this particular Cuvée. I like that comment - Champagne quality but distinctly not Champagne.
I have heard Queen Elizabeth has been making and now selling a sparkling wine from grapes grown on the estate’s property. Supposed to be very good, from what I hear. Appears to only be only be sold right now at a few places in Florida.
The Nyetimber estate is located in West Sussex, where they have about 2/3 of their vineyards. The rest is in Hampshire, Hazeldown Vineyard in Stockbridge. When I visited last year, they told me they also have bought land in Kent. But I don’t think it has made it’s way in the product yet. So the Brut Classic Cuvee is 2/3 West Sussex,1/3 Hampshire.
When it comes to soil, it is true that the South Downs and North Downs has the same type of soil you find in Champagne. But the downs has different layers of soil. At least not less interesting for sparkling wine is greensand. Nyetimbers vineyards in West Sussex are on greensand. Hazeldown is chalk.
Vincent - it was a pleasure to share it with you. I emailed Brad Greatrix who makes the wine and enquired about US distribution who replied that
‘Our wines are imported by Valkyrie Wines, based in California. I will find out who might have stock in Oregon, but I imagine there won’t be many options (yet).’
He’s said he’ll get back to me with further info so will post once I have it!