Bluebell Vineyard Estates Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary with Launch of Late Disgorged Blanc de Blancs

Bluebell Vineyard Estates, based in Danehill, East Sussex, celebrated 10 years of sparkling success today with the launch of a Late Disgorged Blanc de Blancs. The release marks the start of a new wine series for Bluebell Vineyard of sparkling wines aged on their lees for a minimum of 60 months.

The inaugural release, a 2008 Blanc de Blancs Single Vineyard Reserve, was produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes grown in Bluebell’s ‘Homeview’ block vineyard. Aged on its lees for 6 years, it will be available in limited quantities.

“It is fitting to launch our inaugural late disgorged Blanc de Blancs as we celebrate our 10th year,” said Kevin Sutherland, winemaker at Bluebell Vineyard Estates. “Since our very first plantings I knew I wanted to develop a series of late disgorged wines. Leaving the wine to mature on lees longer before disgorging brings a totally different expression to the wine; mature, rich and developed, while still maintaining the freshness and acidity characteristic of our wines.”

It was awarded a silver medal at the recent English & Welsh Wine of the Year competition with the judges stating that the wine had a “savoury developed autolytic nose, good mousse with a creamy texture, brioche and red fruits, lime zest and a long finish”.

“It’s an exciting time for Bluebell Vineyard and we can’t wait to see what the next 10 years brings,” continued Kevin. “We have plans to extend our range of sparkling wines to include an oak-aged Blanc de Blancs and a Blancs de Noir, along with a new range of still wines to complement our sparkling production. With the new vineyard plantings coming on stream over the next couple of years we will have the flexibility to experiment and explore different styles.”

www.bluebellvineyard.co.uk