Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesSmooth and ripe, with intense red fruit character. Crisp citrus and orchard fruits on the palate, with some toasty complexity.
Chapel Down's sparkling wines are produced using the intricate Traditional Method, the same method as Champagne, where the bubbles occur naturally within the bottle. The winery produces a variety of styles from the youthful and vibrant Brut NV, to the more mature and complex Three Graces which is aged for four years before release. Honing what are becoming classic English wine styles is very important, but the team at Chapel Down also seeks to continually improve and develop styles.
The still wines are typified by aromatic delicacy and vibrancy of fruit from crisp, clean white wines to delicate rosés and elegant light red wines. England is becomingly increasingly known for its Bacchus white wines, which are considered England’s answer to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Chapel Down produces five different expressions of Bacchus ranging from crisp and vegetal to rich and tropical. The team is continually experimenting with new varieties and winemaking styles, such as the winery's late harvest Nectar and England’s first Albariño.
The limestone soils of England’s southern end have proven ideal for the production of sparkling wine. While it might seem too damp and cold for grape growing, recent warm summers and the onset of global warming signify great future growth for the British wine industry.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
