Hambledon Vineyard releases historic first
Monday 10th March saw the exciting new release of Hambledon’s Blanc de Blancs. A historic first from the estate, this extraordinary English sparkling wine is produced using the very best vines from the finest plots at Hambledon’s Home vineyard.
This is a limited release and is mainly comprised of wines from the exceptional 2018 harvest, together with a small percentage (2%) of reserve wine from Hambledon’s Solera wine reserve system – a library of blends dating back to 2010. The wine then spent more than 4 years on lees before first disgorgement in May 2024.
Hambledon Vineyard, which was founded in 1952 by Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, is widely regarded as the birthplace of English wine.
Under the guidance of esteemed Champagne House, Pol Roger, Sir Guy planted vines on the south-facing chalky slopes on the Hambledon estate, in what is now part of the South Downs National Park. In the early years, the business only produced still wines, but these quickly gained a following and were so commercially successful that Sir Guy soon became recognised as one of the leading pioneers of modern English wine production and was heralded by the Daily Telegraph as ‘The Father of English Wine’.
Today, Hambledon is under the joint ownership of Berry Bros. & Rudd and Symington Family Estates, with a remarkable 200 acres under vine. This area is divided into three vineyards consisting of 30 individual subsections with differing terroirs and microclimates.
The chalk on which the Hambledon vines grow was formed around 65 million years ago and completes the uppermost layer of the famous Paris basin. This is the same Belemnite chalk that is found in the best Chardonnay producing areas of the Côtes des Blancs in Champagne and has been central to establishing Hambledon as the English spiritual home of Chardonnay.
For more details about Hambledon Blanc de Blancs allocations and pricing, please contact your account manager or the Fine Wine team at finewine@fells.co.uk.
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