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Simpsons launches non-vintage Chalklands English sparkling wine
Simpsons Wine Estate has released its first non-vintage Chalklands Classic Cuvée English sparkling wine in time for its 10th anniversary.
The Kentish winemaker, which has selected three vintages to create the blend, has made the wine using the Great British Classic Method has built up a library of base wines over several years enabling it to switch Chalklands from a vintage to a non-vintage wine.
Simpsons co-founder Charles Simpson said: “Creating the non-vintage version of Chalklands has been a labour of love. Bringing together the base wines is a complicated mix of science and art, but the final result blew us away with its elegance. Chalklands is pale gold in colour, with a delicate mousse, and a delightfully fresh nose, with notes of crisp green apple and flint. These flavours are amplified on the palate, which has linear precision and impressive structure and length.”
Simpsons co-founder Ruth Simpson added: “Producing Chalklands as a consistent, high-quality, non-vintage style has always been our aspiration, but only possible now that we have several vintages under our belts. This approachable and elegant wine is exactly what our bar and restaurant customers need this summer to help mark the full emergence from lockdown and the special celebrations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee. As we mark 20 years in winemaking and 10 years in Kent, it’s a thrill to be able to toast our progress with the new incarnation of Chalklands.”
Chalklands Classic Cuvée is made from a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Meunier. According to Simpsons, each grape variety is harvested and vinified separately using a selection of yeasts before undergoing malolactic fermentation and being aged in tanks for three months on light lees. The wine has then spent an extra 12 and 18 months ageing on lees prior to disgorgement.
Ruth and Charles Simpson began making wine at Domaine de Sainte Rose at their 40-hectare estate in the South of France back in 2002 before launching Simpsons Wine Estate in Kent in 2012. The Simpsons Wine Estate now encompasses 30 hectares of vineyards and has revealed that the winery’s resulting first non-vintage blend will be used to is toast its 10th anniversary.