Highlights: Fractal Sequence 001 NV England
This is an interesting project. It’s a collaboration between William Lowe (who is a master of wine) and Nick Lane (the experienced winemaker at Defined Wines in the UK), and the idea is to make a series of wines that bring together different vintages and vineyard sources, with the key being clever blending and élevage. This is Sequence 001, a release of 360 bottles, which were sold by ballot at £42 each. The idea is, presumably, to create demand by scarcity: to buy you have to enter the ballot with payment held, but then later refunded if you don’t get lucky. £42 is certainly a hefty fee for a bottle of still English wine, and I’m not sure the wine is totally competitive at this price, but it’s certainly very good. But the cheap twin-top cork seems inappropriate for a high-end wine: they could have used a much better looking and taint free DIAM.
Fractal Sequence 001 NV England
12.5% alcohol. A blend of 45% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 12% Pinot Meunier and 8% others, from vintages 2010-2020. This is lively and bright with high acidity and lovely grapefruit and mandarin fruit, with a subtle stony, spicy edge. It’s bright and quite mineral with a subtle saline finish. Very styline, linear and without heaviness. 92/100
Website: https://www.fractalwine.uk/
