Classic English Blend (Champagne who?)
Black Chalk Classic 2017, Hampshire
Great British Classic Method; expressed perfectly right here! Yes, WineGB has recently announced that the official name for English sparkling wine is ‘Great British Classic Method’. And at Bacchus, we think the Classic from Black Chalk epitomises Great British fizz perfectly! Clean, bright, pure fruit with aromatic Chardonnay and rich Pinots, balanced perfectly with complex autolytic characteristics. Rule Britannia!
Awards and comments:
- GOLD – 2020 International Wine and Spirit Competition
- GOLD – 2020 WineGB Awards
- GOLD – 2020 Independent English Wine Awards
- TROPHY WINNER – 2020 Wine GB and IEWA
“I reckon this is one of the best UK sparklers out there. So delicate with purity and balance. World Class!”
Dr Jamie Goode
| Wine | Black Chalk Classic |
| Style | Clean, bright fruit with depth and complexity; classic Hampshire |
| Variety | Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir (30%), Pinot Meunier (30%) |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Winemaking | Lees ageing and oak maturation Acidity: 10 g/l Dosage: 9 g/l |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £35.00 |
Stopham Brut Prestige 2017, Sussex
The perfect bottle of bubbles to offer up during a garden party or as an apéritif! This traditional method English sparkling wine is elegant and fresh in equal measure with notes of honeyed brioche and grapefruit. A delight in a glass. Cheers!
*Stopham’s Brut Prestige opened our Christmas 2020 tasting ‘An Evening of English Decadence’ and we could not have hoped for a more perfect opening to this extra special tasting.
| Wine | Stopham Brut Prestige |
| Style | Fresh and vibrant; a perfect English apéritif |
| Variety | Chardonnay (80%) & Pinot Noir (20%) |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Ageing | 30 months on the lees |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £27.00 |
Sharpham Sparkling Blanc 2017, Devon
Exceptional winemaking has produced a stunning English traditional method wine. After harvest, grapes were ‘whole berry pressed’ at a tonne at a time, followed by racking (to remove the wine from other grape matter). The ferment was carried out at a controlled 14.5 degrees centigrade until dry. The wine then matured over the winter before being blended in preparation for bottling in the traditional method.
| Wine | Sharpham Sparkling Blanc |
| Style | Fresh, pure fruit with a complex finish |
| Variety | Chardonnay & Pinot Noir |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Ageing | 30 months on the lees |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £27.50 |
Sharpham Sparkling Reserve, Devon
The pinnacle of Sharpham’s sparkling wine hierarchy. With no less that five years extended ageing on the lees, this is a seriously complex wine. Yet, it retains a magnificent fruit profile which is testament to the quality of the their south Devon fruit and climate.
Nectarine, white peach, tangerine, citrus and toast all formulate the aroma profile of this wine. The palate is fresh with delicate stone fruit flavours and a touch of salty minerality. The finish is long and clean. Celebrations never tasted so good!
| Wine | Sparkling Reserve |
| Style | Complex, retaining purity of fruit |
| Variety | Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir |
| Vintage | NV |
| Ageing | 56 months on the lees |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £32.50 |
Simpsons Chalklands Classic Cuvée, Kent
Elegance personified! Thanks to the craftsmanship that has produced and nurtured this fine example of English sparkling wine, the Simpsons estate have realised a truly remarkable sparkling wine which is, quite frankly, in a league of its own. The nose offers; rich mille-feuille pastry alongside ripe orchard fruit, while the palate is beautifully balanced with vibrant citrus acidity and complex autolytic characteristics.
The late-disgorged Magnum has been been blended and aged differently to enhance the drinking experience. This sensational English sparkling wine just became sublimely opulent!
| Wine | Chalklands Classic Cuvée (750cl/1.5l Magnum) |
| Style | Elegance personified; lively and deeply complex for the late-disgorged magnum |
| Variety | 75cl: Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir (30%, Pinot Meunier (30%) Magnum: Pinot Noir (60%), (Chardonnay (30%), Pinot Meunier (5%) |
| Vintage | 75cl: 2018 Magnum: 2017 |
| Winemaking | 75cl: MLF, 3 months tank ageing on fine lees followed by 20 months bottle ageing on lees Acidity: 4.13g/l, RS: 7.9g/l, PH: 3.12 Magnum: MLF, 3 months tank ageing on fine lees followed by 32 months extended bottle ageing on lees, disgorged January 2021 Acidity: 4.5g/l, Dosage: 7g/l, PH: |
| ABV | 75cl: 12.5% Magnum: 12% |
| Price | £38.00/£70.00* *Also available as a ‘Late-Disgorged’ Magnum |
Raimes Classic, Hampshire
Oz Clarke called this ”fascinating stuff”. And, who are we to disagree! An absolute cracker expressing the 2015 vintage beautifully. The Raimes Classic has been skilfully crafted by renowned winemaker Emma Rice and had enjoyed a particularly long ageing period. Unsurprisingly, the Classic has been adorned with Gold Medals from the Wine GB Awards and The International Wine Challenge to name but a few.
Robert and Augusta are fifth generation Raimes family members who now nurture and cherish their 4 hectare estate that takes full advantage of the chalk slopes Hampshire is now renowned for!
| Wine | Raimes Classic Vintage |
| Style | A bold and assertive vintage expressing great varietal character |
| Variety | Chardonnay (55%), Pinot Meunier (28%), Pinot Noir (17%) |
| Vintage | 2015 |
| Winemaking | 80% stainless steel, 20% barrels ageing, partial MFL (61%) 42 months on lees Disgorged February 2020 |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £32.50 |
Blanc de Blancs
Raimes Blanc de Blancs, Hampshire
Expert winemaking from Emma Rice using the beautiful fruit from the Raimes family estate delivers a wine that is elegant and with a delightful softness due to the small proportion of barrel aged Chardonnay. Yes this wine is also complex with depth and a finish that marvels.
You can only produce sublime wines with fruit of equal quality. Although the Raimes family farm on some 170 hectare, only 4 hectares of the estate are dedicated to viniculture. And this special plot… well it enjoys south, south east exposure on chalk slopes within the South Downs National Park. Now it all makes sense!
| Wine | Raimes Vintage Blanc de Blancs |
| Style | Elegant and soft yet complex-marvellous! |
| Variety | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Winemaking | 83% stainless steel, 17% barrel aged, partial MLF (83%) Disgorged 11th November 2020 Ageing potential: 10 years |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £38.00 |
Blanc de Noirs
Simpsons Flintfields Blanc de Noirs, Kent
The burnished gold reflections in a glass of Flintfields is really something to behold. A wine so inviting to look at the does anything but disappoint-a stunning and sensual wine to take through the evening. A personal favourite here at Bacchus and it will be a sad day when it goes.
| Wine | Simpsons Flintfields Blanc de Noirs |
| Style | A wine that transports… |
| Variety | Pinot Noir (Clone 115) |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Winemaking | Specific bunches picked for fuller tannic structure over a two week period, MLF for base wines with 3 months ageing on fine lees, followed by 24 months ageing on lees after secondary fermentation. Dosage: 8g/l Acidity: 5.3g/l PH: 3.04 |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £48.50 Last 3 remaining bottles |
Raimes Blanc de Noirs, Hampshire
A beautiful sparkling wine made with only red fruit from the family run, boutique Raimes estate. This wine burst with fruity character that speaks only of Pinot! There is a spicy complexity to the wine that makes it all the more enticing.
The Raimes range currently comprises of only vintage wines. All uniquely fabulous! If you’re a fan of Blanc de Noirs or Pinot dominated sparkling wines, we’d say you’ll find your happy place right here.
| Wine | Raimes Vintage Blanc de Noirs |
| Style | Fruity complexity with body and spice |
| Variety | Pinot Noir (52%), Pinot Meunier (48%) |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Winemaking | Majority stainless steel, partial barrel ageing (7% PN, 6% PM) 29 months on lees Dosage: 4g/l, total sugars 7g/l Acidity 10g/l Disgorged September 2019 Limited release: only 2000 bottles |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £40.00 |
Sparkling Rosé
Sharpham Summer Sparkling, Devon
You’d be hard pushed to find a finer sparkling wine for those long summer days. And considering we never seem to get enough of them, this is the perfect wine to help savour them!
Fun and fresh with red berry and clotted cream characters, all finished nicely with a soft spritz.
| Wine | Summer Sparkling |
| Style | Fresh, fun and fruity |
| Variety | Dornfelder & Pinot Noir |
| Vinetage | NV |
| Winemaking | 60 months on the lees |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £20.50 |
Black Chalk Wild Rose 2018, Hampshire
Sophisticated pink bubbles from Hampshire with delicate and persistent strawberries with a soft creaminess from its time in bottle. This Brut Wild Rose strikes the perfect balance between fruit expression and sweetness.
Jacob Leadley heads up Black Chalk with his brother-in-law Andrew Seddon and assistant winemaker Zoë Driver. Jacob was former winemaker at Hattingley Valley and launched his Black Chalk label in 2015 and utilised Hattingley’s facilities, under contract, to produce his first wines. He then left his position at Hattingley in 2018 in order to driver BC forward. ‘Forward’ is quite the understatement as Jacob has sent Black Chalk into the stratosphere!
| Wine | Black Chalk Wild Rose |
| Style | Serious pink fizz |
| Variety | Pinot Meunier (51%), Pinot Noir (33%), Chardonnay (16%) |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Winemaking | Acidity: 9.1 g/l Dosage: 6 g/l |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £43.00 |
Raimes Vintage Rosé 2015, Hampshire
This stunning sparkling rosé boasts bright red fruits with a fine and creamy strawberry mousse. There is also a refined touch of almond and cherry. An impressive finish means this is a rosé to sip and savour.
Upon commenting on the Raimes estate, near Winchester, Michael Edwards MW said, their plot “…has the best composition of chalk akin to Champagne.” If you haven’t already, Raimes wines are seriously worth checking out.
| Wine | Raimes Vintage Rosé |
| Style | Fruit driven with great depth, complexity and length |
| Variety | Pinot Noir (58%), Chardonnay (22%), Pinot Meunier (20%) |
| Vinetage | 2015 |
| Winemaking | 100% stainless steel, 39 months ageing on lees Disgorged June 2019 Only 2000 bottles released |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £43.00 |
Sparkling Red
All Angels Sparkling 340, Berkshire
Only 340 bottles produced in homage to the 340 year old farm the estate centres around. Owner, Mark, has produced this sparkling red wine with one simple aim; for people to enjoy! As Mark says himself, “Wine can be taken too seriously sometimes, this wine is for enjoying, not philosophising over. Enjoy it with a Mars Bar if you will!”
A medium ruby wine with light, yet persistent bubbles visible from the base of the glass. Vibrant fruit on the nose offering blackberry and cranberry with flavours of cherry tart on the palate. Exquisite!
| Wine | Sparkling 340 |
| Style | Complex with depth of fruit, lightly sparkling |
| Variety | Rondo |
| Vintage | 2015 |
| Winemaking | Traditional method |
| ABV | 12% |
| Price | £33.00 |
Simpsons Canterbury Rosé 2018, Kent
An exquisite sparkling rosé offering a real point of difference from others on the market! The mousse on the Canterbury Rosé is luscious, full and creamy giving the perception of strawberries and cream on the nose. On the palate, a rich raspberry sorbet. This wine is a revelation!
| Wine | Canterbury Rosé |
| Style | Rich and complex with opulent fruit and a creamy finish |
| Variety | Pinot Noir |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Winemaking | 15 months on the lees |
| ABV | 12.5% |
| Price | £35.50 |
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