Chapel Down makes world-class wines from grapes grown in the South East of England where the geology and climate combine to provide the perfect terroir for sparkling wines. The first vines were planted at Tenterden in the late 1970's and the vineyard has been continuously producing English wines from this site ever since. Chapel Down now has a large acreage under vine in Kent and beyond.

Winemaking: Harvested by hand in October, this refined sparkling wine has undergone malolactic fermentation and 20% of the blend is matured in barrel before being left to age on its lees for three years before release.

Vineyards: Kit's Coty vineyard is a 95-acre vineyard on teh North Downs of Kent. The southerly aspect ensures the vines capture the sunshine all year long while the warm, free draining chalk soils provide the perfect terroir from producing well balanced, intensely flavoured fruit. Restricting yields and maintaining vine balance allow vines to fulfil their potential, producing fruit that truly express their identity and the unique qualities of the soil.

Weather in 2014: A dream year for UK vineyards with little frost, very good flowering weather, a cool wet August, but warm September and October. Most growers had very good crops with excellent sugars and acids. Still wines very good and sparklers up to the high quality of 2009. Total harvest 6.32 m bottles off 1,506 hectares.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: Kit's Coty vineyard, North Downs of Kent.
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Lees Ageing: 3 years
Dosage: 8 g/l
Alcohol: 12.5%
pH: 3.05
TA: 7.4 g/l
Drink: Now to 2030

Tasting Note: Golden Delicious apple, creaminess and freshly baked brioche unite into a nose that promises buffered freshness. The palate is rounded, adds subtle Mirabelle plum to the apple notes and frames them with rounded hints of lemon oil. The mousse is fine and silky; the fruit is rounded, ripe and pure. The freshness is countered with billowy, brioche richness that coalesces into purest creaminess. The finish is long, still fruit-driven and dry. - Tasted by Anne Krebiehl MW

Chapel Down makes world-class wines from grapes grown in the South East of England where the geology and climate combine to provide the perfect terroir for sparkling wines.

The first vines were planted at Tenterden in the late 1970's and the vineyard has been continuously producing English wines from this site ever since. Chapel Down now has a large acreage under vine in Kent and beyond.

The wines are produced from grapes grown in the South East of England. They own some of the finest vineyards in England, primarily situated on the North Downs of Kent with a terroir very similar to that of Champagne. The Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Bacchus vines are grown on south facing chalk soils and benefit from a warm, maritime climate. They also source high quality fruit from long-term partner vineyards across Kent, Sussex and Essex, resulting in balanced wines with unique flavour profiles.

The sparkling and still wines are made to the highest standards using the latest winemaking techniques, resulting in elegant wines with balanced acidity and rich fruit characters. In 2021 they introduced the ‘Discovery Series’ which is a collection of wines led by their winemaking team produced from experimental plantings and modern winemaking practises to better understand the versatility of this relatively new and unexplored wine region.