Wiston Estate Blanc de Blancs 2018

Wiston Estate Blanc de Blancs 2018 is a benchmark English sparkling wine that shows just how refined 100% Chardonnay can be on the chalk slopes of the South Downs. Crafted from an outstanding, record-setting vintage and aged for years on its lees, it combines precision, creaminess and sheer drinkability in one beautifully composed glass. Awarded Gold at the International Wine Challenge 2023, it stands among the very best sparkling wines England has to offer. This Blanc de Blancs comes exclusively from Wiston’s original vineyard, rooted in pure chalk similar to that of Champagne, giving the wine its signature tension and minerality. The combination of meticulous hand-harvesting, gentle pressing in a traditional Coquard press and long ageing has created a wine of both immediate charm and serious structure. 2018 is already considered a landmark year in British wine history, and this cuvée captures that moment with remarkable clarity and elegance.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, Wiston Estate Blanc de Blancs 2018 shows a pale, luminous lemon-gold hue with a fine, persistent bead and an elegant, creamy mousse. The nose opens with notes of nougat, lemon zest and freshly baked pastry, unfolding into hints of green orchard fruit, crushed chalk and a delicate floral lift. On the palate, the wine is at once creamy and taut, with a vivid core of acidity wrapped around flavours of ripe green plums, crisp apples, buttered scones and candied lemon. The chalky South Downs minerality runs through the wine, giving it both finesse and length, while the 8 g/L dosage is beautifully integrated, leaving the finish long, balanced and mouthwatering. Already gorgeous now, this vintage has the concentration and structure to evolve gracefully over the next 5–8 years, developing more brioche, hazelnut and honeyed complexity with time.

Production
The Chardonnay for this Blanc de Blancs comes from Wiston Estate’s original vineyards in the South Downs of England, where vines are planted on nutrient-poor, chalk-rich soils that mirror those of the Côte des Blancs in Champagne. The cool English climate and the exceptional four-week window of perfect weather during flowering in 2018 delivered a record harvest of beautifully ripe yet finely balanced fruit. All grapes were hand-picked at optimum maturity, then gently pressed in Wiston’s traditional Coquard basket press to preserve purity and delicacy. Fermentation took place in a mix of seasoned French oak barrels and stainless-steel tanks, followed by nine months on the lees before bottling. The wine was then matured for a further 4–5 years on its lees in bottle, building complexity, texture and depth before disgorgement with a dosage of 8 g/L.

Food & Serving
This Blanc de Blancs is a natural match for seafood – think fresh crab on buttered sourdough, oysters, scallop crudo, delicately poached lobster or classic fish and chips taken to another level. It also shines alongside smoked salmon, sushi, soft goat’s cheese, lemon roast chicken or light, creamy dishes that echo its fine texture. Serve well-chilled at around 8–10°C to highlight its freshness and minerality. A brief 10–20 minutes in the glass (or a very short, gentle decant into a chilled carafe) allows the wine to open up and reveal its full aromatic range, but extended decanting is not necessary.

Producer
Wiston Estate is a historic family estate in the South Downs, West Sussex, farmed by the Goring family since 1743. Though the land has an agricultural history spanning centuries, the modern wine chapter began in the mid-2000s, when vines were planted on the estate’s chalk slopes with a clear ambition to craft world-class traditional-method sparkling wines. Working with a highly regarded winemaking team and one of the UK’s only Coquard presses, Wiston quickly established itself as a leading light of English sparkling wine, earning critical acclaim, prestigious medals and strong international recognition. Today, Wiston is widely seen as a reference producer in the region, helping define the reputation of English sparkling wine for precision, elegance and age-worthy character.

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