Tasting notes:

Chapel Down Winery has a long and illustrious history, tracing its origins to Anthony Pilcher’s Chapel Farm Vineyard on the Isle of Wight. Since 1995 the winery has been based at Tenterden in Kent. With significant investment in both vineyards and winery, and sourcing grapes from other exceptional English vineyards, Chapel Down has become a leader in English wines. This example, very pale lemon in colour with small bubbles, shows ripe golden apples, tropical fruit and lime zest with buttery, toasty autolysis. Brut-style, the mid-weight palate has very fresh acidity and velvet-textured mousse. With good concentration and a lingering finish, this is a wine to sip throughout an afternoon or to serve with smoked salmon and a lemon wedge. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)