Celebrating English Fizz

The 2013 Tillington is surely the greatest wine yet produced in the British isles. The nose is delicate and floral, with notes of redcurrant and rose petal, enchanting and complex. The palate is finely judged, with wonderful acidity and just a hint of toasted brioche alongside a basket of fruits: wild strawberries, crunchy red apples, and pears. It's the structure that's truly remarkable, with dancing acidity and a wonderful mouthfeel. This is a stunning wine: one you'll want to try.

The 1086 is Nyetimber’s prestige cuvée, produced to be the pinnacle of the estate. A careful selection of dozens of separate wines from the 2010 vintage, carefully blended together, it then spent six years on the lees before being disgorged. It’s not cheap, but it’s undoubtedly the most ambitious, and most complex, sparkling wine produced in England today. Notes of biscuit and red fruit, and a very long, focused finish. So impressive.

The Classic Cuvée is a multi-vintage blend, coming from the hundreds of hectares of vineyards owned by Nyetimber. It’s a brilliant introduction to the range here. Creamy and fruit forward, there’s lovely structure, with a long and chalky finish.

Prior to 2010, the Classic Cuvée was a single vintage wine, and we’ve liberated a few bottles of the gorgeous 2009 Classic Cuvée, a wonderful vintage in England. Late disgorged just for Lay & Wheeler, it shows the ageing potential of this brilliant wine. Notes of ripe apples, caramel, and a hint of forest floor, this is utterly delicious.