Winemaker Notes
Ridgeview Wine Estate's signature blend Bloomsbury is light golden in color with a fine, persistent mousse. Citrus fruit aromas with hints of melon and honey. Chardonnay dominance brings finesse, along with crisp freshness. The Pinots add depth and character leading to a beautifully balanced finish. Will age gracefully over time as the Chardonnay matures.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
A hint of nettle plays amidst the green apple and lemon notes of the nose. The palate has very fine fizz that gently exudes even more green-apple and bright lemon notes. This is slender, taut and lively, and makes an ideal apéritif style delivering real, lasting and resounding refreshment.
-
Wine & Spirits
Chardonnay dominates this blend with pinot noir and meunier, providing a richer wine than Ridgeview’s Cavendish, big and leesy, with fleshiness to its fruit. The autolysis lends a toasty pastry-crust note while the savory chardonnay spice brings to mind fennel seeds and meaty stock. It’s substantial enough for braised rabbit or hare.
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.
The limestone soils of England’s southern end have proven ideal for the production of British sparkling wine. While it might seem too damp and cold for grape growing in England, recent warm summers and the onset of global warming signify great future growth for the British wine industry.