For quite some time Chapel Down has been teasing us about the new premium range of Kit’s Coty single vineyard wines. Last year saw the release of the first wine in the new livery; the delicious Kit’s Coty Chardonnay 2013. This was a wine we absolutely fell in love with thanks to its unique texture and richness.
To celebrate St George’s Day on 23rd April, Chapel Down will be launching the new Chardonnay 2014 vintage, along with the first two Sparkling Wines to be released under the Kit’s Coty label. The first of these is the Kit’s Coty Blanc de Blancs 2013, presumably replacing the previous Chapel Down Blanc de Blancs (another personal favourite) in the lineup. The biggest surprise is the ultra-premium Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée 2013, a wild-ferment first pressing that aims to raise the bar for English wine to compete with the best sparkling wines of the world. The Coeur de Cuvée will be priced at £100 per bottle, making it the highest priced English Sparkling wine on the market at this point in time.
Full description of the three wines below from Chapel Down. We look forward to tasting the wines at the official launch next week, so keep an eye out for our thoughts!
Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée 2013 is produced from only the very best blocks of Chardonnay within the Kit’s Coty estate. The Coeur de Cuvée is made from the ‘heart of the first pressing’, the finest quality portion of juice extracted exclusively from the first press cycle, before undergoing wild fermentation and maturation on lees in French oak for seven months. The result is a wine of such elegance and purity that once again the bar for English wine has been raised to compete with the finest sparkling wines in the world.
Josh Donaghay-Spire, head winemaker, describes the wine as “a rich, elegant English sparkling wine with aromas of ripe green apple, hazelnuts and freshly baked brioche. The palate has incredible purity and finesse coming from a combination of the chalk soils and the specific pressing technique which carries the well-integrated oak and fruit characters perfectly.”
Coeur de Cuvée is priced at £100.00 per bottle and pushes the quality standards for English sparkling wine.
Kit’s Coty Blanc de Blancs 2013 is produced from Chardonnay vines harvested by hand in October 2013. This refined sparkling wine has undergone malolactic fermentation and 20% of the blend is matured in barrel before being left to age on its lees for three years. With aromas of ripe apple, candied lemon and toasted oats, this Blanc de Blancs works well as an aperitif and equally has the complexity to pair with a variety of dishes, particularly white fish.
£40.00 per bottle.
Kit’s Coty Chardonnay 2014 is the second vintage to be released following the sell-out success of the 2013 vintage last year which was awarded ‘Best UK White Wine over £15’ in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2016. This wild-ferment Chardonnay has been matured in old French oak for nine months and has aromas of melon and peach together with subtle toasted notes. The palate is rich, yet fresh and leads to a long, mineral finish.
£30.00 per bottle.
