Tasting the brand new Jenkyn Place 2015 Blanc de Blancs English Glowing Wine – Wine weblog UK

The Bladon’s of Jenkyn Place hosted a winery occasion to launch their new 2015 blanc de blancs. Unperturbed by torrents of falling rain, Scottie Gregory traversed the Hampshire countryside to report.

The solar shines on manicured vines

I drove via driving rain and flooded roads from one finish of Hampshire to the opposite and on arrival at Jenkyn Place, the tumult abated and half an hour later the solar blazed down. A very good omen, little question. I used to be very impressed by my first go to to an English Winery. I in contrast it to my first go to to a winery, in Southern France slightly below Gassin on the St Tropez street in 1967. I used to be obliged to choose bunches of grapes for two days as my pockets had been stolen and I used to be awaiting cash wired by my mom.Jenkyn Place was positively manicured by comparability.

Falling into viticulture

It was a case of serendipity that led Simon Bladon (and now his charming daughter, Camilla) to turn out to be makers of glowing English Wine. The household had moved from Clapham in 1997, to the a lot bigger Jenkyn Place in Bentley and wanted extra furnishings to fill it. A buddy had identified {that a} furnishings public sale was to be held not too distant. On arrival on the public sale Simon obtained a glass of glowing white wine which he thought was slightly good. He was amazed to find that it was English. Though Simon purchased no furnishings that day, he had purchased the bud of an concept. The furnishings sale had been at Nyetimber!

On returning house Simon made enquiries to see if the now redundant hop fields subsequent to Jenkyn Place is likely to be appropriate for vines. To his delight, he found that they have been on greensand and marlstone, so excellent for planting his first vines in 2004. 

Jenkyn Place 2015 Blanc de blancs

Jenkyn Place unveiled its first Blanc de Blancs (2015) this 12 months. I requested Simon if it had been a part of the long run plan or whether or not it had been prompted by 12 months for chardonnay. He stated that it had been a little bit of each.

It was well worth the effort. It displayed a stunning nostril of fresh-baked bread and lemon sherbet. On tasting, the preliminary apple acidity gave method to creaminess, ultimately leaving a hint of peach and pear, because it was very lengthy on the palate.

Whereas this glowing wine is great as an aperitif and would go effectively with the standard servings akin to smoked salmon and fruits de mer, it will be foil for a wealthy salmon and langoustine mousse.

Tasing the 2014 Brut Cuvée

The 2014 Brut Cuvee was a energetic instance of the Jenkyn Place model of glowing wine that Dermot Sugrue, the very proficient winemaker at Wiston (and previously Nyetimber) efficiently maintains. Its nostril displayed biscuity, virtually shortbread notes, accompanied by citrus. On tasting, apple, sherbet, lemon, and a chalky minerality gave the wine nice steadiness between acidity and fruit. I saved slightly to take into lunch and located that it was glorious with two of the creamy cheeses served, one in every of which was blue. 

That is once more a superb aperitif however I’d serve this with seafood each plain and accompanied by creamy sauces akin to Lobster cream sauce.

Earlier vintages

At lunch, there have been bottles of Brut Cuvee from 2006 (the primary classic, I consider) 2008 and 2009. It was attention-grabbing to check these earlier vintages and to find that the Brut Cuvee does age. The perfect was the 2009 which was nonetheless energetic, fruity and tinged with lemon verbena. I can see why it gained a Sommelier Award for the perfect accompaniment to fish and chips.

I’ve an excessive amount of admiration for Simon Bladon and his daughter, Camilla. Producing effective wines within the English local weather requires dedication, persistence and fortitude, in addition to aptitude and nice consideration to element. Their finish merchandise present that they’ve these capabilities in abundance. 

Scottie Gregory is an skilled meals and wine lover with a few years of tasting expertise.