New ownership, generational winemaking
When Ian Kellett acquired the Hambledon Estate, the first stirrings of the phenomenon that would become English Sparkling Wine had begun, but comparatively few people had heard of it, much less thought of it in the revered light it is seen in today.
The pivotal decision for Hambledon to focus on sparkling wines in 2000 then was still a daring one. But armed with the area’s superb terroir in the Newhaven Chalk formation – the same chalk that underpins the best Chardonnay vineyards in Champagne’s Côtes des Blancs, as well as cutting-edge winemaking expertise – the decision paid off.
Today, Hambledon Vineyard, under the new guidance of Berry Bros. & Rudd and Symington Family Estates, boasts over 200 acres of vineyards and the UK’s only gravity-fed, state-of-the-art winery.
Minimal intervention winemaking is overseen by Hervé Jestin, a man behind over 200 million bottles of Champagne in his career, and personally recommended by a director of Pol Roger as one of the best winemakers in Champagne. He is assisted by Hambledon’s full-time winemaker on site, Felix Gabillet, who manages the winery on a day-to-day basis.
Since that pivot to sparkling wine in the year 2000, Hambledon has earned a host of awards, high scores and critical acclaim, including Decanter Platinum Awards, Wine GB Golds and Drinks Business Masters Awards.
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