Highlights: Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2016 England
Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2016 England
12% alcohol. This is from two vineyards. One is in Appeldore in Kent and is on clay soils – a south-facing escarpment. The other is near Goodwood in West Sussex and is chalk/flint/loam. The analysis is pH 3.10 (low), TA 7.9 g/l (normal) and the dosage results in 8.3 g/l residual sugar (normal). It spends 42 months on lees at least (depending on the disgorging run). This is a really impressive wine with taut citrus aromatics and just a hint of bread and toast. The palate has keen acidity nicely offset by some sweetness, and combining the lively citrus fruit with some subtle apricot and mandarin. There’s good concentration and a long, juicy finish. I reckon this will benefit from a bit of ageing on cork: it’s currently very primary, and although it’s impressive, there’s some integration of flavour still to come. 93/100 (UK retail £59)
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