Description

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Rich in viticultural heritage, the first vineyards were planted in Purleigh, Essex in the Middle-Ages, where the vines flourished and supplied The Crown. Bill and Sheila Greenwood established the New Hall Wine Estate and planted their vines in Purleigh in 1969, which makes it one of the oldest commercial vineyards in the UK. The vineyard benefits from a special microclimate as Purleigh is one of the warmest and sunniest spots in the country, making it ideal for premium viticulture. The New Hall Wine Estate has 49 hectares under vine, one of the largest plantings of Bacchus in the UK and an impressive newly-built estate winery. The family-run estate is now in the hands of the third generation. The young, dynamic and internationally experienced team continue the family tradition of nurturing the grapes from the vine to glass, to produce awardwinning wines which showcase English Wine at its very best.

THE VINTAGE:
The start of the 2022 growing season was cool so the vines were slow to shoot which meant frost damage was avoided. It was a warm sunny growing season with very little rain which led to excellent fruit flavours and ripeness. The clay soils provided the vines with adequate moisture to sustain the vines through the hot, dry summer and provide an ample harvest.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
The vines are planted on sheltered southern facing slopes in the Crouch Valley. The big skies with low rainfall and coastal breezes offer ideal climatic conditions. The vineyard is made up of London clay soils from the Tertiary age, with chalk concealed below the clay deposits. Over the years this site has proven itself to be an almost ideal place for the growing of vines in England, producing above average crops of high-quality grapes with naturally high sugars each year. The vines are sustainably cultivated with practices such as mulching the prunings back into soil, the use of a disc cultivator as a sustainable weed control method. The grapes were harvested at optimal maturity using a combination of hand picking and machine picking.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
A proportion of handpicked fruit was lightly de-stemmed, leaving mostly whole berries that were sorted and transferred into stainless steel open fermenters. The grapes were cold soaked for four days prior to fermentation with selected yeasts. Daily punch downs and pump overs took place for early colour and flavour extraction, these initial punch downs gave way to more gentle pump overs once fermentation had reached one third, to avoid the over-extraction of tannins. A proportion of crushed fruit from Acolon imparted colour and rich aromatics. The wine was made without the influence of oak, showcasing the cool-climate, fruit driven style of a quintessentially English blend.

OUR TASTING NOTES:
Delicious aromas of brambly fruits, Morello cherry and a hint of almond lead to a rounded and supple palate full of juicy dark fruit, tomato leaf and a delicate peppery character on the well-structured finish.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Acolon 50%, Regent 23%, Rondo 15%, Triomphe 12%.