Coates & Seely, Reserve Brut, Hampshire NV (12%)
£31.95-£36
Caviste, Coates & Seely, Lea & Sandeman, The Champagne Co, The English Wine Collection, The Whisky Exchange, Wine Direct
There’s no rule that says English sparkling wines must feature in our Best in Show selection; it’s all about quality. Year after year, though, it’s precisely the quality of the English sparkling wines entered into the DWWA that keeps impressing our judges. What distinguishes this wine is that it’s not a vintage or late-disgorged speciality, as with previous Best in Show winners, but a non-vintage blend of the three classic varieties. It’s pale gold, with a steady stream of fine bubbles; aromatically you’ll find ultra-freshness and a distinctive sappy cool infusing the shy orchard fruits – like a sniff of an early spring morning before the mist has lifted. It’s taut, tight and stony on the palate, in bracing aperitif style – but the quality of the fruit, teased to ripeness, is there for all to taste.
‘Being recognised at these awards is a clear affirmation of the conviction that first inspired the creation of Coates & Seely,’ say the titular pair. ‘Namely, the idea that southern England has certain sites with great terroir capable of producing sparkling wines that can be ranked alongside the greatest in the world.’
While Nicholas Coates’ previous career was in the city, which he left ‘in search of a better way of life’, Christian Seely is steeped in wine, being managing director of AXA Millésimes, owners of superstars including Bordeaux’s Château Pichon Baron and Château PetitVillage, and Quinta do Noval in the Douro.
This winning wine is 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Meunier, broadly reflecting the varietal split across the Coates & Seely vineyards. ‘We work at far lower yields than are customary in Champagne – about half, in fact – in a good year.
‘Traditional winemaking leads the way, but also the latest technology, which is perhaps most notably evidenced by our concrete fermentation eggs – the only ones used in England.’