Rathfinny Wine Estate Blanc de Noirs 2020
The Rathfinny Wine Estate Blanc de Noirs 2020 is a phenomenal showcase of the South Downs, driven by the uncompromising vision of estate co-founder Sarah Driver. Once an arable farm, Rathfinny has been meticulously transformed into a world-class, B-Corp certified estate. The Blanc de Noirs is their flagship cuvée, crafted from grapes grown on a south-facing chalk slope just three miles from the sea. By focusing exclusively on the finest hand-harvested fruit, this release firmly positions English sparkling wine as a formidable rival to the greatest houses in Champagne. Pouring a striking rose-gold hue, this Blanc de Noirs is built primarily around a powerful core of Pinot Noir, beautifully supported by Pinot Meunier. It leaps from the glass with an evocative perfume of crushed wild cherry, baked red apple, and delicate honeyed pastry. On the palate, the fruit is incredibly generous, offering ripe yellow plum and pristine red berries, but it is seamlessly counterbalanced by a razor-sharp, saline acidity that speaks directly to the coastal chalk terroir. Aged for a minimum of 36 months on its lees, the wine develops a phenomenal, creamy autolytic texture, adding complex notes of toasted hazelnut and brioche. Finished with a deliberately low dosage it remains exceptionally taut, dry, and focused.
