Breaky Bottom Cuvée Tom Inglis Hall 2009

I love wine with a good story behind it – and Peter Hall, owner of Breaky Bottom, is certainly a winemaker with many a story to tell. Originally planted in 1974 with a focus on Sparkling wines predominantly made from Seyval Blanc, Peter has more more recently also planted the trio of classic Champagne varieties.

I’ll admit it; I’ve never been a huge lover of Seyval Blanc, but the Cuvée Tom Inglis Hall 2009, which is made from 100% Seyval, was about to wine to change my preconceptions on the grape!

This wine has a remarkably toasty nose full of biscuit, yeasty, nutty richness and complexity – it was a real surprise as I often find Seyval a bit light and insipid.

The palate continues to impress with a wonderful breadth of flavour and texture. Teeth tinglingly dry with dancing acidity, and then a wonderfully fine creamy mousse unfolds with nutty savoury character accompanying baked pear flavours.

A lime zest tang on the finish, super lengthy – this is a hugely distinctive wine and an unparalleled example of English Sparkling made from Seyval Blanc.

I’ll be visiting Breaky Bottom in the coming weeks and look forward to reporting more on Peter’s wines and stories soon!