Harrow & Hope Blanc de Noirs, Buckinghamshire, England

What is noticeable about this wine is how elegant, restrained and fresh it is, despite coming from such a hot year. It certainly has a softness that gives a hint of its birth year, but the acid is still evident giving great confidence in its long term ageing ability. It has that lovely blackcurrant character that was present on the 2015 and the winemaking team increased the barrel fermentation element to 47%, which gives it a lovely texture and weight.

In their own words: “It’s not an easy style to master, as you have to be able to tame the naturally muscular and bold nature of Pinot Noir into an elegant and refreshing drink. We seem to have just got lucky planting this variety in the right spot and year after year, it is now giving us this lovely combination of fragrance with a sleek and refined structure. Unlike the 2015, this release is 100% Pinot Noir. This decision was taken to hone in on one particular part of the vineyard, where clay and chalk combine to give a complete wine without the need for blending varieties. It takes time to understand your vineyard and what areas consistently give the best results, but our knowledge has come a long way since the early years.”

Harrow & Hope’s single-vineyard sits on an ancient Thames gravel terrace. Being quite central and away from the coast the vineyard experiences high summer day temperatures with cooler nights that preserve precious acidity. This wine expresses everything that is great about Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier on their site, with pure fruit character, concentration, freshness and a lovely balanced texture.