Hattingley Valley Blanc de Blancs 2014 (6 Bottles) Hampshire, England

by CellarHand

$691.00 GST Included

AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

Very nicely balanced, sprightly nose. Super-fine bead. Nicely judged mousse. Very much a Blanc de Blancs with citrus zest and no obvious sweetness – just well-integrated fruit and acidity. A really attractive drink now but it shouldn’t go downhill in a hurry.

The Chardonnay grapes for 2014 Hattingley Valley Blanc de Blancs were handpicked and gently whole-bunch pressed. Approximately 13% of the total blend was fermented in old oak barrels and partial malolactic fermentation took place to provide a round and creamy texture. After five years ageing on lees in bottle to add complexity and depth, the wine was disgorged in March 2020 at 6g/L residual sugar.

Pale golden colour with gentle green hues and delicate bubbles, this Blanc de Blancs displays beautifully the pure linear character of the Chardonnay – white stone fruit, citrus fruit and a delicious honeyed character on the nose; clean and mineral flavours with pastry and brioche notes on the palate. It has a well-balanced and refreshing acidity that gives way to a creamy mouthfeel and long, complex finish.

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About Hattingley Valley Wines in Hampshire, England

From its birth as a farm diversification project back in 2008, we have grown to become one of the leading wineries in the UK, based in rural Hampshire. The Robinson family made their initial steps in 2008 by planting our very first vineyard on some of their farmland but had no idea that it would lead to where we are now. We have a 600 tonne, eco-friendly winery that was purpose built under the guidance of our then Head Winemaker, Emma Rice. Emma took full advantage of Simon’s lack of industry knowledge (and at the time, large chequebook) to coax him into buying the best equipment throughout, so now we have one of the most advanced wineries in the world, and Simon has a much smaller chequebook.

The only thing we take seriously is the winemaking, the rest, we try and have a little fun with, so expect the unexpected, embrace the unconventional, throw off the shackles of tradition and join us in some rather remarkable wines….. People used to laugh at English wine, they don’t seem to be laughing any more…

Hattingley has always sourced fruit from a wide range of England’s regions rather than relying on our own vineyards in Hampshire. Although England is a small country, there is a multitude of soil types and microclimates which make all the difference in a cool, marginal climate. Frost can be a major problem, so being able to spread the risk across a variety of areas is very useful.

Over the past few years, we have worked with a number of established farmers who either had vineyards already or who wished to diversify from other types of farming. Growing grapes successfully is tremendously difficult in the UK, so we only choose sites that have true potential. We enter into long-term (usually ten years as a minimum) contracts to ensure that it is viable for all.
The old adage of ‘you can make bad wine from good grapes, but it is impossible to make good wine from bad grapes’ remains true, meaning we work very hard to ensure that we work with only the very best fruit possible.
We are now pleased to see these vineyards starting to bear fruit (quite literally) and we wanted to show you some of our partner growers..

CellarHand

CellarHand is a fine-wine importer and wholesale distributor, with a portfolio featuring some of the most sought-after estates of Germany, Austria, France and Italy, as well some of the greatest producers from Australia and New Zealand. Our ethos has always been to build a portfolio as you’d construct the perfect wine list. We work with small, family producers who express the best of their regions. The wines we sell are the wines we enjoy, and the people who make them are like family to us. They are wines that taste of where they come from, and though they’re steeped in history and stamped with the signature of their terroir, they’re more than ever relevant – and desirable – to the Australian diner of today.