“Tasted blind. NHB! Surprisingly rich, tropical nose for an English Chardonnay! Mangoes and even a touch of caramel. Gorgeously ripe, bold, curved, a sweep of flavour. Absolutely stunning. Reverberating like harp strings, lime-tingling acidity, tense inner structure but great generosity and sweep of fruit. Tasted a few days later, blind, again, but this time next to a 2017 Montagny premier cru ringer, it was not remotely outshone. Yes, it didn't seem quite as rich – my notes were 'Smoked limes. Tense, bitter walnuts. Fennel seeds and cracked coriander seeds. Grapefruit. Almost like mustard leaves! Real bite. Spiky. Salty. But there is proper fruit underneath the lashings of acidity and spike.' I went back to this over and over, for two weeks, and every time, it delivered.”

“Tasted blind. Hint of putty on the nose. Very beautiful texture. Creamy without being heavy. Great balance of fruit and acid. Crisp, clean and appetising.”

“Deep, bright orange-pink. Masses of strawberries on the nose but this is one of the most unusual English pink fizzes I have ever tasted! This is an explosion of blood orange and morello cherries and pomegranate with a lashing of sumac and sweet-hot paprika. This tastes as if it should carry a label saying, Made In Morocco. Just gorgeous. Crazy outgoing, exuberant, cartwheeling flavour. Full of fireworks and joy. This is street dancing! A flash mob in a bottle! ”

“Estate fruit from Ditchling, East Sussex. Co-macerated 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Pinot Meunier, split between two old burgundy barrels and one tank. A deep, highly expressive ripe strawberry and cherry tart opening, counter-balanced with some rosehip grip and sweet, toasted almond oak characters. Some complexity here, with some tarter redcurrant on one side, and some yogurty, creamy detail on the other. Bold stuff, bound to capture some attention.”

“The honey, seashells, orange-blossom and saffron-cake nose on this wine is so captivating. I almost forgot to taste it. The bubbles are fine, focused, but give the wine an ethereal life. The acidity is wired down a centre tensile line, at the same time radiating out, linear turning helical, giving the wine a structure that is both orthogonal and fluid. Laminae of orange, citrus flowers, apple sherbet, chalk dust, cobnuts. High-stepping with lively, graceful, well-choreographed energy. I'm convinced this is Harrow & Hope's best wine yet.”

“Very smoky nose. Lots of pure citrus. Lime peel and racy. Very appetising.”

“From a single parcel of Pinot Noir, 870 clone. This is their only Blanc de Noirs and apparently this style works better in cooler vintages. No oak. Very small quantity produced. To be released late 2022.
This could actually be sold as a (very pale) rosé. Fairly rich nose. Really mouth-filling. Round and orangey and super-clean. Complete. Very much a gastro-wine. Just lovely already and reaches every nook and cranny on the palate.
Drink 2022– 2026”

“60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. They make a base red from deepest, darkest Pinot and make a 4–5% addition to the blend. This cuvée is jetted at disgorgement after 18 months on lees.
Bright strawberry colour. Bright, breezy nose with lots of fruit. Mouth-filling and bursting with strawberry fruit. Long.
Drink 2021–2025”

“46% Chardonnay, 43% Pinot Noir, 11% Pinot Meunier. Six years' ageing on lees. Dosage 9 g/l. Disgorged July 2016. Mytik Diam technological cork.
Tasted blind. Tiny bead. Some caramel on the nose. Rather loosely textured with some green-apple character. The wine with the highest apparent acid level – which may well be a clue as to its origins. Sweet and sour, this improved in the glass.
Drink 2017-2027”

“Vineyards in West Sussex. 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. Five years' ageing on lees. Dosage 8 g/l. Disgorged June 2016. Mytik Diam technological cork.
Tasted blind. Pale tomato and pretty phenolic and dry. Doesn’t quite follow through. Ripe tomato aromas. Complex and off-dry. This very taut wine is a bit uncompromising.
Drink 2019-2025”

“After an initial whiff of reduction dissipates, there are notes of freshly cut green and red apple and a touch of sea breeze. More air reveals freshly cut red apple flesh. The palate comes in with a kind of rounded energy, with fruity élan that is reminiscent of ripe, red apple. The mousse is fine and creamy, the body is generous yet svelte, and there is a most lovely edge of pith that almost destines this for the table. It is the subtle apple-scented creaminess on the salty, dry finish that is utterly disarming. Impeccable balance.”

“Sourced from the estate’s own Tillington vineyard in West Sussex the single vineyard sparkling wine is only produced in the best years. This is the fourth release after 2009, 2010 and 2013. Pale gold with a pinkish hue. Passionate and floral on the nose, with toasty acacia blossom, fresh raspberry and red apple notes. Honeyed on the palate with great depth of red apple, honeysuckle and white pepper seasoned citrus. The textured, buttery mousse unravels a tight core of salinity and vivid acidity. The savoury lime peel bitterness on the finish is cleansing and salivating. Riddled in September 2019 and disgorged a year later.”

“Really meaty-yet-bracing nose opens out to more richness of a brioche-like sort. The acidity is so high that it tastes absolutely bone dry although there is probably quite a bit of dosage to judge from the tech spec for the 2013. Good definition – no mistaking this for champagne! Good, clean, long finish. Still youthful.”

“Ripe and juicy notes of fresh red and yellow apple come with a buttery shortbread note and an enticing overtone of candied redcurrant. The palate is wonderfully taut, has real tension, softened by very fine, lively bubbles which will only get creamier with more time in bottle. The ripeness of 2018 expresses itself in an exquisite balance: the wine shows generosity of body, of fruit, while remaining absolutely sleek, taut and brisk. The finish sounds a beautiful and serene note of harmonious freshness.”

“Liquorice nose. It's hard to believe the dosage is so low, because the ripeness and roundness of fruit on this wine is exceptional. Pin-point-fine bubbles snap the lemon and blueberry fruit into taut lines. There's a cool stoniness, like mossy concrete; an almost imperceptible peppery nuttiness; and then the wine momentarily widens into sweet pear before narrowing into a piercing finish.”

“From the first vineyard planted by Ridgeview in 1995, this now is the well-deserved vintage Blanc de Blancs. Subtle hints of oyster shell blend in with bright, vivid, pale lemon freshness on the nose. The palate is as bright, as fresh, but it has a creamy, gentle vein as a counterweight and beautifully creamy mousse. There is lovely elegance and brightness. ”

“A hint of nettle plays amidst the green apple and lemon notes of the nose. The palate has very fine fizz that gently exudes even more green-apple and bright lemon notes. This is slender, taut and lively, and makes an ideal apéritif style delivering real, lasting and resounding refreshment.”

“The Bloomsbury was disgorged in November 2019. This is the signature cuvée from Ridgeview, and it was served to the Queen at her official Diamond Jubilee celebration. It is always a reliable performer, bursting with citrus lemon, lime, freshly sliced melon and honeysuckle. The energetic palate revives the senses, thanks to a vibrant line of acidity that imparts almost a steeliness toward the finish (not unlike a Blanc de Blancs.) This is great introduction to the delights of Ridgeview and indeed to English sparkling wine. ”

“Tasted blind. Very pale straw. Very lively mousse. Clean and appley nose. Marked acidity and medium sort of age. Good balance and refreshing.”

“Salty saline nose reminiscent of oyster shells. Very good balance of sweetness and acidity. Long in the mouth, pleasing to the palate.”

“A lifted sense of lactic freshness hits the nose first. The flavors then broaden out into ripe lemon and subtle shortcrust notes. The slender palate foams with liveliness, underlining the light body, the brisk freshness and the lemony shortbread notes. The finish is dry, vivid and appetizing. A wonderful aperitif. ”

“The nose shines with the subtle richness of buttery, raw shortcrust pastry but also has a lovely inflection of smoke and lemon. This autolytic richness carries right over onto the slender, smooth palate where an edge of honey is just hinted at. The foam is fine and creamy, and the balance is striking. A most elegant debut for this first release with a sonorous, dry finish.”

“The 2014 Brut Classic Cuvée spent 36 months on the lees and has a low dosage of 7g/L. It presents an attractive and quite intense bouquet of baked Braeburn apples, a touch of pear and a background note of melted candle wax. The palate is fresh with a creamy texture, harmonious and delineated. Those baked apples define the finish, and there is a welcome pinch of spice on the aftertaste. A fine cuvée from Roebuck Estates. ”

“100% Chardonnay clones 121 and 124. This was the second vintage of this wine and it was given the Simpsons' longest-ever lees-aging, 36 months. 20% of the base wine was barrel-aged. Disgorged January 2022. Dosage 8 g/l.
Real energy on the nose. Open texture on the palate but great vitality overall. Very pure and pretty with depth and potential.
Drink 2022–2028”

“Tasted blind. Hint of blue. Pale strawberry colour. Strange, rather cinnamon-like aroma. A bit wild and with a hint of fraise des bois. Lots of interest but definitely non-classic. A bit green. Cuts off a bit suddenly. English?
Drink 2019-2022”

“A wine clearly at ease with itself, displaying beautiful balance and a vinous nose, delicate and understated. The finish is surprisingly long, longer than the mid-palate suggests, displaying gentle fruit, elegance and finesse”

“Evocative redcurrant notes play on the nose. They become more intense on the palate where lively fizz lets them mix with lemon and pink grapefruit zestiness. This wine is lively and fresh but the exuberant surface is supported by a firm and taut structure of subtle autolysis that provides the perfect backdrop for all the tart, refreshing berry fruit. It offers freshness, joy and verve in one tidy, neat package. Lovely now, it will develop”