Hambledon Classic Cuvee Rose 75cl

Description

Introduction:
Established in 1952 by Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Hambledon in the South Downs is England’s oldest commercial vineyard.
Ian Kellett acquired Hambledon in 1999 with a view to restoring Hambledon to its former glory and research convinced him that the site was perfectly suited to the production of sparkling wines.

The Newhaven chalk on which the vines grow was formed on the seabed of the Paris basin some 65 million years ago and is found in the best Chardonnay areas of the Côtes des Blancs in Champagne.

In 2005 a 10-acre ‘test bed’ of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier was planted on a combination of 27 different vine clones and rootstocks to see which gave the best results.
Hambledon now comprises over 200 acres of vineyards and the only gravity-fed, state-of-the-art winery in the UK.

In 2011 Hervé Jestin, one of Champagne’s leading chefs de cave and renowned expert in minimal-intervention winemaking, joined Hambledon and now directs all winemaking at the Estate alongside Felix Gabillet.

Tasting notes:
A beautiful, vivid wild-strawberry pink with a hue of red onion skin on the rim.

On the nose, magnolia blossom is followed stridently by perfumed wild-strawberry compote with hints of buttered white sourdough toast.

The palate is rich and mouth filling with flavours of strawberry balanced by zingy tart cranberry and pithy Amalfi lemon notes. The texture is creamy with a clean, crisp, yeasty finish.

How to serve:
Great as an aperitif but also a good companion to salmon fillet and desserts made with summer fruits and berries.
Best served between 10 and 12°C.

Blend of grapes:
90% Chardonnay 10% Pinot Noir

Dosage 10 g/l
Alcohol 12%

Review:
“Pale Provençal pink. Creamy red fruit but still has that lovely smoky chalk character of the Première Cuvée. Dry but with a rounded fruit finish. Excellent fruit depth, just a little bit of felt sweetness on the finish so you get a sweet/sour Victoria plum finish and a slight boiled-sweets (hard-candy) after-effect. 16.5/20”
Julia Harding MW, Jancis Robinson, 15th June 2018