N/V Première Cuvée, Hambledon, Hampshire

N/V Première Cuvée, Hambledon, Hampshire

Riper and richer than the already impressive Classic Cuvée, this has marmalade and brioche notes in abundance. Fruit for this comes from 1954 plantings: the oldest vineyard in England, and these old vines really show through. There is hint of more development, a toffee apple note perhaps, on the mid palate: this is another remarkable wine from Hambledon.

This wine has now sold out. Please get in touch with your advisor or one of our team on [email protected] or 01473 313 300 for more information or guidance on an alternative.

Wine details

  • Region & country
    Hampshire, England
  • Grape
    58% Chardonnay
    24% Pinot Noir
    18% Pinot Meunier
  • Maturity
    Drink to 2034info
  • Colour
    White
  • Sweetness
    Dry
  • Style
    Sparkling
  • Unit Volume
    Bottle (75cl.)
  • ABV
    12%
Hambledon Vineyard

Founded in 1952, by Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Hambledon is England’s oldest commercial vineyard, with wines even served to French president Jacques Pompidou during an embassy reception in the 1970s. But it was with the arrival of Ian Kellett in 1999 that the story really began. Ian was already a wine lover, with a successful career in banking under his belt - his interest piqued by the winemaking history of the estate, he studied oenology at Plumpton College, aiming to restore Hambledon to its former glory. He was convinced that sparkling was the future, and in 2005 he planted his first Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, to test different clones and rootstocks. In 2011, having expanded the plantation with guidance from Hubert de Billy of Pol Roger, he appointed Hervé Jestin, a renowned chef de cave from Champagne, to direct all winemaking. Hambledon has England’s only entirely gravity-fed cellar, which transforms grapes with minimal intervention, grown on the estate’s Newhaven chalk soils - the same soils that are found in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs. With expansion plans on the way, and bolstered by its recent acquisition by a consortium of historic wine families, Hambledon’s future is very bright.

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