Description

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Hoffmann & Rathbone is a boutique winery located in England’s Sussex-Weald region, founded by husband-and-wife Ulrich Hoffmann and Birgit Rathbone who have a passion for crafting artisanal wines. Ulrich Hoffmann has a wealth of winemaking and viticultural expertise having spent 22 years working around the world, from the prestigious Rolf-Willy estate in Baden-Württemberg, to Chateaux de Fieuzal and HautGardére in Bordeaux, Artadi in Navarra, and Cain Vineyards in the Napa Valley. He may have continued had he not fallen in love with the Sussex countryside and its cool climate, which offers ideal conditions to produce delicious sparkling wines. Following an ethos that the perfect sparkling wine cannot be rushed, they focus on precision, passion and combining traditional methods with a modern, minimalistic approach, creating tiny volumes aged for long periods with care and patience. Hoffmann & Rathbone has proved that English sparkling wine is now on par in terms of quality, with the best sparkling wines in the world, never imitating, but with that quirky English personality of doing things differently.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
The grapes come from Ford Farm Vineyard in East Sussex, in the Sussex Weald an area of outstanding natural beauty. The vineyard comprises three parcels on one farm, which are south facing and surrounded by woodland which offers maximum protection from wind and excellent heat retention. This sheltered, warm and dry site offers ideal conditions for growing grapes to produce concentrated sparkling wines. The vines are Guyot trained at elevations of between 50 to 80 metres above sea level. The soil is clay, with underlying sandstone, which offers good water retention properties to nourish the vines. The vines are cultivated using sustainable practices; under-vine weeding takes place to control weeds, herbicides are not used, with solar panels for electricity and boreholes for water. A wildflower meadow, fruit orchard and woodland promote bees, wildlife, and biodiversity. The harvest often takes place two weeks earlier than most, with the fruit being hand harvested into small crates.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
The fruit was whole bunch pressed and naturally settled over 24 hours. Fermentation lasted 14 days at 15°C with selected yeast ‘sleeping beauty’ which dates to 1895, in stainless steel tanks with the ‘taille’ fermented in oak barriques. 80% underwent malolactic conversion. A small amount of Pinot Noir fruit was left to ripen on the vine and then fermented in open top barriques and added before the second fermentation to give this wine its colour and rich red fruit character. Aged on its lees for over seven years.

OUR TASTING NOTES:
A characterful, rose-gold sparkling rosé with fragrant aromas of plum, strawberry and peach blossom. Refreshing and beautifully balanced, with enticing cherry, fresh fig and a sprinkle of fresh ginger through to a touch of spice on the finish.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Pinot Noir 100%.