Try these sparkling five
Here are five brands to get acquainted with. Routinely difficult vintages mean that these wines don’t come cheap: Expect to pay at least $40, but the quality is there.
Ridgeview, South Downs Founded in the early ’90s, Ridgeview is managed by Robin Langton, who worked in the U.S. with, among others, Patz & Hall. These are fine, classic cuvées, with the 2013 Blanc de Blancs an especially sexy and lifted wine, with scents of green apple and pomelo, citrusy flavors bearing a hint of toasty lees, and a lemon-rind finish.
Wiston Estate Winery, South Downs An irrepressible Irishman named Dermot Sugrue makes the wines at Wiston Estate Winery, in a repurposed turkey farm. The estate’s NV Brut is in fact all from the 2013, since 2012 was such a dreadful vintage. The aromas are fine and lifted, almost delicate. The flavors are nothing of the kind: assertive and resolute, with fruit tones that run from lemon to passion fruit, with remarkable persistence and length.
Nyetimber, Sussex One of the country’s more visible wine brands, Nyetimber winery, was established in 1992; the estate itself is old enough to be mentioned in the Domesday Book. Nyetimber makes a NV Classic Cuvée of exceptional elegance, with a fine, delicate mousse, a lemony scent and detailed flavors that angle toward yuzu and lime, with a coyly tangy and mineral grip.
Hush Heath Estate, Kent Hush Heath Estate is a relatively new winery, devoted largely to rosé wines, from Kent, southeast of London. Proprietor Richard Balfour-Lynn blends Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in his Balfour Brut Rosé ,a wine with the scents of green plum and white cherries, and a firm, appley acidity lent some grip by red grape tannins.
Gusbourne, Kent Gusbourne is another ancient estate in Kent (dating back to 1410) with relatively new (2010) aspirations in fine wine. Gusbourne works with properties from both Sussex and Kent. The 2013 Blanc de Blancs is remarkably pithy and dry at the outset, with scents of lemon rind and a smattering of fresh herbs marking citrusy flavors; there’s a stirring core of acidity and a talc-like finish. You can find selections at John & Pete’s Fine Wine and Spirits in West Hollywood, Lincoln Fine Wines in Venice, K&L Wine Merchants in Hollywood, Vendome Wine & Spirits in North Hollywood and wine.com.