Blackbook Winery – Chardonnay ‘Pygmalion’ – 2020

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 come from the single vineyard site of Crouch Valley Vineyard, which is situated on the coastal peninsula of Crouch Valley. Positioned on rolling hills overlooking the Crouch River Estuary, the vines are planted between the River Crouch and River Blackwater, where the mesoclimate is moderated by the surrounding water. The vineyard was planted in 2006 and is south facing to optimise sunshine in the capricious English climate. The area is generally well-protected from frost and has low rainfall, producing high quality fruit as a result. The clay soils are cool, with good water retention properties to nourish the vines through the warm summers. The grapes are hand-picked into small crates at optimum maturity and then travel the short distance to the winery in Battersea, London.

WINEMAKING:
The grapes were hand-harvested into small crates to preserve the quality of the fruit and were whole bunch pressed to Burgundian barrels without settling. Fermentation took place with indigenous yeasts for both the alcoholic fermentation and malolactic conversion, during which frequent lees stirring took place imparting texture and complexity. The wine spent 22 months on the lees in French oak barrels, of which 40% were new, before being bottled without fining or filtration.

TASTING NOTE:
A beautifully rich and buttery Chardonnay, with notes of waxy lemon, honeydew melon and sweet pineapple complemented by sweet oak nuance and nutty overtones. The textured and balanced palate has wonderful length through to a subtly saline finish.

GRAPE:
Chardonnay 100%.

COUNTRY:
England

REGION:
English Regional Wine

SUB-REGION:
English Regional Wine