Hambledon is England's oldest commercial vineyard, located on the chalk soils of the South Downs in Hampshire. Originally established by Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones in 1952, the first harvest was produced in 1961 with advice from friends at Champagne House Pol Roger. Ian Kellett then purchased Hambledon in 1999 and shortly afterwards, extensive research revealed that sparkling wines were the future. Ian responded by planting a 10-acre 'test bed' of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier to assess which of the twenty-seven different combinations of vine clones and rootstocks gave the best results.

Hambledon Classic Cuvée is a unique assemblage of 80% wines from 2016 and 20% tank aged reserve wines. The grapes used were first pre-selected and handpicked from the estate before a second selection took place in the winery prior to pressing, ensuring only the most mature grapes went into the fermentation vats. A small percentage 6% of the wines were fermented in specially selected French oak barrels to add complexity and structure.

Weather in 2016: Cool start and mixed weather at flowering meant smaller than average yields. Long growing season with beautiful ripening. Intensified fruit flavours balanced with near perfect sugar and acidity levels.

Technical Information:
Grape Varieties: 56% Chardonnay, 27% Pinot Noir and 17% Meunier
Base Vintage: 2016
Reserve Wine: 20%
Lees Ageing: 36 months
Disgorged: 2020
Dosage: 4.5 g/l
Drink: Now to 2025

Tasting Note: On the nose this has vibrant scents of magnolia and lily. On the palate there is a wonderfully structured acidity and ripe, fresh fruit character. The very linear and dense body leads to a lasting finish.

Hambledon Classic Cuvée NV does not have an individual branded gift box.

Hambledon is England's oldest commercial vineyard, located on the chalk soils of the South Downs in Hampshire. Originally established by Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones in 1952, the first harvest was produced in 1961 with advice from friends at Champagne House Pol Roger. Ian Kellett then purchased Hambledon in 1999 and shortly afterwards, extensive research revealed that sparkling wines were the future. Ian responded by planting a 10-acre 'test bed' of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier to assess which of the twenty-seven different combinations of vine clones and rootstocks gave the best results.

Since then, Hambledon have established themselves as one of the foremost sparkling wine producers in the country. The Hambledon property today consists of 50 acres of vineyard and a new gravity-fed, state-of-the-art winery: the only one of its kind in the UK. After a successful harvest of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier from 2010 and 2011, Hambledon winery recruited one of Champagne's leading Chef de Caves, Hervé Jestin, who now oversees all winemaking at the estate. Hervé is pioneering Bioenergetic champagne at Leclerc-Briant in Epernay.

Cellar Master: Hervé Jestin
Winery Location: South Downs | Hampshire, England
Annual Production (bottles): 200,000