Blackbook Winery – Chardonnay ‘Painter of Light’ – 2021

PRODUCER NOTE:
Blackbook Winery is an urban winery located in a railway arch in Battersea, South London. Their philosophy is simple: blending tradition with innovation. The grapes are sourced from carefully selected growers, who have vineyards within hours of the city and high-quality grapes. Blackbook endeavours to bring the hard work of the vineyard owners to the forefront, by creating a range of single vineyard wines that showcase the quality and potential of producing world-class still wine in England. Focussing on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Blackbook uses a minimalist approach, with low to zero sulphur and natural yeasts, as they seek to reflect the vibrancy, culture and energy of London in their wines.

VINTAGE:
2021 was an unusually cold vintage with multiple frost episodes during May and early June, resulting a delayed season. This was coupled with a cold and wet growing season. The harvest was one of the latest in recent memory with the first grapes arriving to the winery in late October and the last arriving close to the third week of October. The colder-than-average season resulted in lower alcohol wines with beautiful tension.

VINEYARD:
The grapes for this wine are sourced from a single vineyard ‘Clayhill’ vineyard, which is situated on the coastal peninsula of the Crouch Valley in Essex, between the Crouch and Blackwater Rivers. Planted in 2006, the vineyard is south facing to optimise the sunlight. The mesoclimate is sunny and warm, ideal for the production of quality fruit. The soil is made up of clay, which offers good water retention properties, nourishing the vines throughout the summer growth period. The grapes are hand-picked into small crates to retain the quality of the fruit.

WINEMAKING:
The Blackbook Winery ethos embraces minimal intervention winemaking. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed directly into Burgundy barrels, without settling. Alcoholic fermentation and malolactic conversion both took place with indigenous yeast. The wine spent eight months on its lees in French Burgundy barrels, of which 20% were new oak. Frequent lees stirring imparted texture and complexity. Only minimal sulphur was used and the wine was vinified without additions. The wine was matured for a total of 11 months before being bottled without fining or filtration.

TASTING NOTE:
A fine and elegant Chardonnay with citrus and honeydew melon aromas enhanced by subtle toffee and toasted almond nuances. Textured on the palate, the refreshing citrus and tropical flavours are underlined by a smoky, flint character and it finishes on a delicious saline note.

GRAPE:
Chardonnay 100%.

COUNTRY:
England

REGION:
English Regional Wine

SUB-REGION:
English Regional Wine