Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2013
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits
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Wine Enthusiast
A restrained but pure note of lemon constitutes the nose, suggesting both tangy zest and juicy flesh. The subtle mousse of tiny bubbles and a sonorous backdrop of autolysis counters all of this freshness and allows it to blanket the senses with its shimmering, lemony but also creamy briskness. That luminous lemon core leaves a lasting impression on the palate. Purity, slenderness and elegance are its hallmarks. Lovely now this wine will age with grace. Drink 2017–2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Blanc de Blancs has a crisp, quite austere but quintessentially Blanc de Blancs style bouquet that is full of energy. The palate if fresh, quick out of the blocks with Granny Smith apples and fresh lime. This feels brisk and lively, an English sparkler with commendable weight and very good persistence. You can feeling this Blanc de Blancs tingling long after its slate-like finish. This is the best of three examples I tasted from Gusbourne and it comes highly recommended.
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Gusbourne takes its name from John de Goosebourne, owner of the estate back in 1410 when it bordered the sea in the South East of England. In 2004 our founder Dr Andrew Weeber planted the first vines with a clear vision and a single goal: to create English Sparkling Wines that would stand up alongside the very finest offerings from across the globe.
Focusing on just the classic grape varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, all the grapes used in our winemaking are sourced solely from Gusbourne vineyards, and we only make Vintage wines. Though England is very much cool climate territory, in relative terms our vineyards benefit from an exceptionally warm and dry maritime climate, which enables us to achieve full ripeness every year – whilst still being classically fresh, our wines tend to display an extra level of roundness and approachability. Our vines are tended with great care and attention to the environment, using only organic fertilisers, whilst time and complexity are the name of the game in the winery, where 250-300 wines are made each vintage (some under wood), with our key Cuvées ending up being assemblages of up to 120 wines each.
Gusbourne is the only three-time winner of the International Wine & Spirits Challenge English Wine Producer of the Year, and we are the proud recipients of over 200 awards at international competitions - in 2019 alone we were awarded 23 gold medals and 8 trophies. Our wines are not in widespread distribution, but can be found in leading restaurants, top hotels and luxury department stores. They are also served in the Royal Households.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
The limestone soils of England’s southern end have proven ideal for the production of British sparkling wine. While it might seem too damp and cold for grape growing in England, recent warm summers and the onset of global warming signify great future growth for the British wine industry.