Does English wine age backwards?
AGED ENGLISH WINES FROM BREAKY BOTTOM, GUSBOURNE & HATTINGLEY DELIGHTED THE TASTE BUDS OF TIME-SERVED TASTERS AT THE LIBÉRATION TARDIVE FOUNDATION ‘TEN YEAR PLUS’ TASTING IN SKINNERS HALL THIS MONTH – SO FRESH WERE THE WINES ONE WAG PRONOUNCED THEM BOOZE BOTOX
Lisse Garnett reports..
‘Does English Wine age backwards?’ asked a famed Brit wine writer and sometime wit at one end of the long trestle table as excitement grew for this once fantastical category. Many of us present had shown cynicism for ageing English wine in the past but one sip of Breaky Bottom served to calm any doubts.
We all marvelled at the universal freshness of the samples and given the chance we might all have gotten stuck into an animated debate on the particular nuances of our climate in bottle but time was called – the likes of Peter Hall of Breaky Bottom and Gusbourne’s Head winemaker Mary Bridges had come to tell their story in the presence of Jancis and other bigwigs – there was no time to prattle on.
It was clear there was an appetite for more in every sense – tasting English sparkling, Chardonnay and Pinot back to 2010 proved an exciting trip, the freshness very much apparent even with extended time on lees. Gusbourne Guinevere Chardonnay 2016 and 2016 Pinot Noir were highlights too.
The Libération Tardive Foundation champions ageing, their slogan being ‘good wine takes time’, this was a fascinating and informative tasting and one it would be valuable to repeat every year.
THE TASTING
Tasting is subjective, particularly for me, I am an appalling automaton and will taste according to the company I keep and the emotions I feel. I have worked with many a talented taster, by which I mean consistent. I am no such beast.
There are those with a time-served expertise of a certain place who are amazing to behold. Argentine Soms who can ascertain with pinpoint accuracy the precise fruit source of every Mendozan bottle they try.
Such a thing is not yet possible in England where our experience is far rangier and more apocryphal. Tasting theories here are akin to horoscopes in terms of scientific value but were tantalising shared by we earnest sniffers nonetheless – a most excellent wine buff posited the theory that English wine does in fact age backwards – that far from exhibiting the tertiary attributes of aged bottles, English expresses flowers and orchard fruit.
One thing we are not short of here in England is acid and science suggests this is one key to protecting a wine’s fruit signature. Acid restricts bacterial spoilage in wine, organoleptically it delivers a sensation of freshness and promotes balance provided the wine in question has the concentration of flavour and power required to match it. If the fruit fades, the taste sensation will be very different. For reds, tannic structure plays an important role. Sugar and alcohol count too. Perhaps it’s guff to even try and unpick ageing potential – maybe it’s down to the individual bottle and the vintage. Then of course there is storage and oxygen exposure during winemaking which can act as a sort of vaccine against future deterioration.
What is certain is that there was real enthusiasm in the room for just how good these bottles tasted, coupled with a thirst for knowledge that can only come with time.
With this in mind, I chose not to score these wines, the tasting was not competitive but an exercise in ageing. For context see the scores of 2018 English Pinot with Burgundy expert and MW palate trainer Michael Schuster in The Wine Merchant and Jamie’s sparkling wine study, here –English Wine tasting.
THE WINES
1. Breaky Bottom 2016 Cuvée Marraine Pooks (100% Seyval Blanc, pH: 2.98; TA: 10.1 g/L; ABV: 11.9%; RS: 11.25 g/L) Peter Hall is the erudite rockstar of English wine, his timeless dynamism and intimate husbandry fashion Seyval into something magical. Corney & Barrow bring his wines to market, hallmarked by their Head of Merchant Buying, Rebecca Palmer– a woman whose sartorial elegance matches her uncanny aptitude for talent recognition. Extended lees ageing produces a creamy brioche-hued richness, balance for the racy zip of hawthorn blossom-laced crisp apple syllabub. The mousse is superfine and saline-edged, with a moreish pithy texture. £48.00 Corney & Barrow
2. Breaky Bottom 2010 Cuvée Koizumi Yakumo (100% Seyval Blanc, pH: 2.98; TA: 9.49 g/L; ABV: 11.7%; RS: 12.1 g/L) Fresh, savoury, salty, pithy bitter lemon and bruised apple, pear, lemon zest, toasty brioche, malt and white pepper. Fine mousse and an electric freshness. £68.65 Corney & Barrow
3. Breaky Bottom 2010 Cuvée Reynolds Stone (70% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier; pH: 2.81; TA: 11.96 g/L; ABV: 11.6%; RS: 5.21 g/L) Toffee apple, creamy almond, marzipan, lemon pith and buttery biscuit – hawthorn flowers and lemon tart topped with a superfine saline laced mouse, delicious. £68.65 Corney & Barrow
4. Gusbourne 2019 Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay; pH: 2.96; TA: 9.0 g/L; ABV: 12%; RS: 7.5 g/L; Lees Ageing: Minimum of 39 months) This was really something. A sublime and sensuously long smorgasbord of Grannie Smith apples, white pepper, buttered brioche, lemon sherbet, orange pith, lemon meringue pie and salty minerals (a questionable descriptor I know), but the minerality is definitely present. £65.00 Gusbourne
5. Gusbourne 2016 Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay; pH: 3.01; TA: 7.9 g/L; ABV: 12%; RS: 8.3 g/L; Lees Ageing: Minimum of 42 months) This wine is still so fresh and primary – lean, taut and lemony with a touch of gorgeous nutty brioche and orange. Decanter awarded it a Platinum medal back in 2021, it would be good to compare notes. I believe it has significantly risen in price since its release and bottles are limited. £135.00 Gusbourne
6. Gusbourne 2013 Blanc de Blancs Late Disgorged (100% Chardonnay; pH: 3.04; TA: 10.9 g/L; ABV: 12%; RS: 9.5 g/L; Lees Ageing: Minimum of 102 months) Like the 2016, this showed a freshness that belied its age – lemon laced with a mineralic tautness, toasted brioche and hazelnuts. £105.00 Gusbourne
7. Hattingley Classic Reserve NV (50% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier; pH: 2.99; TA: 8.2 g/L; ABV: 12%; RS: 5.5 g/L) Green apple, lemon, nutty marshmallow and brioche. A nice touch of sweetness on the finish. Circa £30.00 quid at Waitrose
8. Hattingley 2010 Classic Cuvée (90% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Noir, 5% Pinot Meunier; pH: 2.99; TA: 9.75 g/L; ABV: 12.5%; RS: 9 g/L) Crisp and fresh, loaded with green apple, lemon, a hint of hazelnut, brioche, marzipan and a teeny touch of honey. Hattingley Valley
9. Hattingley 2011 Brut Rosé (40% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Précoce; pH: 3.05; TA: 8.55 g/L; ABV: 12%; Dosage: 10 g/L; Lees ageing: 18 months) Strawberries, cherries and creamy marshmallow, so pretty. £42.00 Hattingley Valley
10. Gusbourne Chardonnay Guinevere 2016 (100% Chardonnay; pH: 3.21; TA: 7.3 g/L; ABV: 12%; Barrel Ageing: 10 months in French oak, 20% new, 80% old) This was lovely, ripe with lemon, camomile and a hint of smoky honeyed hazelnut – it’s creamy and round, peachy and delicious – nicely layered and complex. Gusbourne does release back vintages from time to time, see their website for details.
11. Gusbourne Pinot Noir 2016 (100% Pinot Noir; pH: 3.5; TA: 6.1 g/L; ABV: 12%; Barrel Ageing: 6 months in French oak, 20% new, 80% old) I managed to miss the pour and it was all gone but I was given a sip by my neighbour – sensuously perfumed, supple and gorgeous, I am so glad I didn’t miss it. Morello cherry, raspberry and strawberry but evidence of evolution into something more smoky and savoury too. Gusbourne does release back vintages from time to time, see their website for details.
