Hambledon Première Cuvée is a blend of 85% wines from 2011 and 15% tank aged reserve wines from 2010. In England, September and October 2011 were very warm and dry, producing an incredible harvest with grapes of perfect maturity. 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 (2-3%) of the wines were fermented in specially selected French oak barrels to add complexity and structure. Just 4,000 bottles of this spectacular English sparkling were produced: an exceptional wine not to be missed.

Technical Information:
Grape Varieties: 58% Chardonnay, 24% Pinot Noir, 18% Meunier
Base Vintage: 2011
Reserve Wine: 15% from 2010
Ageing: 5 months on the lees
Disgorged: August 2015
Dosage: 8-9 g/l
Drink: Now to 2022

Tasting Note: On the nose, brioche aromas combine with flowers and toasted hazelnuts. The palate has mouth-watering acidity and dried citrus fruit flavour. A fresh and vivid finish with hints of orange peel.

Hambledon Premiére Cuvée NV does not have an individual branded gift box and will be delivered in a silver 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