English sparkling wine is excellent. Expensive, yes, and difficult to get outside of the UK, but lots of appeal, especially from the established names (Nyetimber, Ridgeview, etc). I like the standard NV of this Pommery England Brut, and I like the Louis Pommery England Brut Rosé NV, too. Now, I hate reviewing NV wines with no disgorgement date because it’s a lottery of what you’ll get in your bottle, but this is a new release, so you can expect freshness. Cool lifted pink fruit, in that powdered pink soft mode you see in good sparking rosé. Interestingly, the blend here is Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier + Pinot Gris, which is unexpected (the Gris part in particular), but hey, it works. Classy, light and delicate with a little red fruit, it’s not intense or profound (hence the score), though fresh and generous enough without feeling sweet. It’s a little too clean and linear for really big points, but it is a more than viable Champagne alternative with excellent vitality.
- Best drinking: now
- Score (out of 20): 17.5
- Score (out of 100): 91
- Alcohol %: 12.3
- RRP (in $AUD): 84
- Winery website: https://www.louis-pommery.com/
- Would I buy it?: I'd go several glasses
THE VERDICT
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Andrew, the revolution in the English wine industry is extraordinary. No one is complaining about global warming over there. Sparkling is undoubtedly the star attraction with the French moving into Sussex and Kent, but locals such as Balfour are also producing superb wines. You can now buy their NV sparkling at Dan Murphy’s for just over $50, but what really excites me is their still wines, particularly Skye’s Chardonnay and, amazingly, an Albarino. Who would have thought!
Amazing isn’t it. A whole new world of English wine. It will never be a big industry in terms of volume, but promising quality.