My view has been slowly changing with each new sampling, starting a few years ago with a sip of ‘Kit’s Coty’ Chardonnay from Chapel Down in Kent, then Gusbourne’s Guinevere from the same grape and county, and, most recently, the Chardonnays from Danbury Ridge in Essex.
But after a tasting this week in London, I’m even more sure that the UK can produce white wine to rival fine Chablis, by which I mean premier to grand cru standard (although not at the same level, nor style, as the great Chardonnays from Burgundy’s Cote d’Or, or California’s top sites, be they in Sonoma, Napa/Carneros, Santa Barbara.)
Such a conclusion was drawn after the first taste of a new label, called Marbury – a barrel-aged Chardonnay from 2023. My expectations were high, firstly because the winemaker is Charlie Holland, who crafted some of England’s best still wines while at Gusbourne, which he joined in 2013.
Taking those expectations higher, however, was the knowledge that he was working with grapes from the Crouch Valley – widely held to be the best site for sourcing Chardonnay (and Pinot Noir) in the UK, and the location of the aforementioned Danbury Ridge.
And giving me further confidence was the fact that this new label was backed by Jackson Family Wines, who specialise in barrel-fermented Chardonnay, having built their success with Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve – the best-selling Chardonnay in the US for over 30 years.
As reported by the drinks business in 2023, after a decade at Gusbourne, Holland joined the Jacksons to help them with their first project in the UK, which, despite the mounting hype surrounding English sparking, would be focused on still wines – initially that is.
This week saw the unveiling of the US-based group’s first stab at fine English white wine, and it’s an exciting example of what’s possible when you combine high-quality grape sourcing with talented winemaking, backed by funds from a business with a long-term aim to create fine Chardonnays from a range of sites around the world.
Indeed, the wine has plenty of what are becoming hallmarks of English Chardonnay: crisp orchard fruit flavours, moderate alcohols, and fresh acidity. Allied to that is a note of caramel and toast from the fine French barriques used to age the wine – although just a small proportion (15%) are new – as well as a touch of mid-palate weight, both from some ripe, peachy notes due to the relatively high ripeness of the fruit used, and a creaminess due to lees stirring while the wine ages in barrel. On top of such traits, there’s a subtle saltiness to the finish, adding to its mouth-watering nature.
Speaking to db about the wine, Holland assured me that his brief was to craft the best English still wine possible, and not to mimic a Chardonnay from California, or anywhere else.
“While I was worried that I might be asked to make a Californian style of Chardonnay, the opposite was true, they [the Jackson family] wanted an English wine,” he said.
Continuing, he commented, “So I have played to our strengths, and what we have in England is lovely freshness, and a zippiness, which makes English wine moreish to drink – and we should be embracing that.”
Click HERE to read the full article.