Drawing a close to a busy, if slightly disrupted (thanks to the joys of balance parenthood, a day job, and a wine website), year of English Wine coverage, my December round-up concludes with a selection of some of the finest new English Sparkling Wine releases.

A growing number of ESW producers have introduced ‘Prestige Cuvée’ wines into their ranges. These are the crème de la crème of English Sparkling, made from the best fruit in a great vintage, and often with prolonged ageing or unique treatment in the winery. The category is increasingly impressing, and becoming steeper in price: the most expensive right now is an eye-watering £249 a bottle. Whilst I’ve still tried to exercise some restraint in the selection this month (we have two wines that break the £100 price point), I was keen to demonstrate that there are more pocket-friendly options to be found as well.

One of the most exciting wines I’ve had the pleasure of trying this year is Exton Park Cuvée M. Isaac Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2015 ‘BBB’ (£130.00). Exton Park have continued to push boundaries in the last decade, but this ‘BBB’ combines confident oak texture with the estate’s signature racy finesse. It’s also a fitting tribute to the Exton Park founder Malcolm Isaac MBE, who sadly passed away just before the launch of this remarkable wine. A new vintage of Nyetimber Tillington Single Vineyard 2016 (£110.00) has arrived just in time for the festive period. I’ve always been a fan of this wine, and it once again impresses with its composure, alongside the ripeness of the 2016 vintage. Meanwhile, Wiston’s Library Collection Cuvée 2009 (£90.00) amazed with its considerable thirteen years of lees age – almost unheard of in England. The Wiston’s complexity and richness make it an excellent choice for the discerning English Wine drinker.

Heading over to Berkshire, All Angels 10th Anniversary Classic Cuvée 2014 (£65.00) is another beautifully developed wine that demonstrates finesse and indulgence. Everflyht Late Release Edition 1 (£38.00) is my best buy of the month, with its invigorating crispness but slender ripe stone fruit and nutty complexities. And keeping things racy and crisp, Leonardslee Blanc de Blancs 2020 (£60.00) was one of a trio of wines that launched the new estate earlier this year and it could be a fine choice for a Christmas morning toast alongside smoked salmon or similar delights. And what would the festive period be without a touch of sweetness? I end on another superb wine from Norfolk’s Burn Valley in the form of their nectar-like Solar Late Harvest 2023 (£26.49).

Exton Park Cuveé M. Isaac Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2015 ‘BBB’

Exton Park is a producer that has continued to push boundaries in English Sparkling Wine since the launch of their first wines. Their signature ‘Reserve Blend’ style draws upon the juxtaposition of racy, non-Malo sparkling wines with a complex blend made from a diverse pool of reserve wines. But it’s their innovation that has notably grabbed the headlines; they were one of the early pioneers of varietal Pinot Meunier sparkling, and also the first English producer to launch a sea-aged sparkling wine. But their ‘BBB’ is likely their most innovative yet.

The BBB stands for Barrel-aged Before Bottling, meaning that this 100% Chardonnay from the 2015 vintage was aged in barrel for over three years, as a still wine, before bottling for secondary fermentation and lees ageing for a further five years. While not the first English producer to age their wine in oak prior to bottling, they are the first, to my knowledge, to do so for a prolonged period.

The nose is immediately striking, opening with a fusion of zesty lemon and yuzu, green orchard fruit and waves of vanilla and almond croissant. There’s a lovely air of toastiness to this wine, bright mineral notes with hints of toasted sourdough and smoke.

The palate picks up where the nose left off, delivering a striking multi-faceted sensory experience. The acidity is bright, bursting and linear, demonstrating a tingling lemon zest and chalky precision that Exton Park Chardonnay is known for. But then there’s this sumptuous, creamy softness, almond cream, hints of marzipan and soft baked apples. And on the finish there’s lingering toastiness, and bursts of finger lime and salinity.

What’s impressive is how the oak has left a subtle but nuanced impression on the wine, elevating rather than masking the wine’s bursting freshness.

Nyetimber Tillington Single Vineyard 2016

Perhaps something of an atypical wine for Nyetimber, as its name would suggest Tillington Single Vineyard comes from a single site. Tillington in West Sussex is a site that is prized for its Pinot Noir, which forms the majority of the blend (73%), with the remaining 27% being Chardonnay, which also contrasts with the largely Chardonnay-dominant approach of Nyetimber sparkling wine blends.

Now in its fifth vintage, Tillington represents a rare single-site expression for Nyetimber, and immediately the red fruit dominance manifests on the nose with aromas of red apple, cranberry, layers of pastry and almond croissant.

On the palate the softness of the mousse is immediately noticeable; the bubbles are fine and supple but also persistent. There’s lots of red apple on the palate, with some more concentrated suggestions of stone fruit and bursts of red fruit. It’s the deeper nutty notes that add structure, something in between almond cream and marzipan.

What stands out about this wine is how refined it is. There are no rough edges, no jarring acidity, and it’s both not shouty nor austere – it’s perfectly refined, soft and confidently complex. This is a beautiful reminder of why Tillington has been my most frequent choice for a Christmas morning toast over the last ten years.

Wiston Estate Library Collection Cuvée 2009

As one of the longer-established English Sparkling Wine producers, Wiston has reached a level of maturity that is demonstrated through its Library Collection range. A chance to look back at some of the Estate’s biggest successes, the latest release is a retelling of their 2009 Cuvée.

This was Wiston’s second vintage, and is a blend of 60% Chardonnay, 30 Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier with 8g/l dosage. Wiston kept a small parcel back on the lees for thirteen years, with this release being disgorged at the beginning of this year.

Despite its age, this wine is striking and timeless. For a 15-year-old English Sparkling Wine the nose of the 2009 is still so incredibly bright. There’s lots of orchard fruit, yuzu lemon and lemon grass, with the complexity of roasted almonds and hazelnuts.

On the palate there’s vibrant yuzu lemon, key lime pie and lemon curd up front. The acidity is bold and driving but then gives way to hazelnut, with richer buttery brioche and Baklava notes emerging as it warms in the glass. This wine is brilliantly poised with nuance and nuttiness throughout, all the while delivering exceptionally bright citrus and green apple freshness.

All Angels 10th Anniversary Classic Cuvée 2014

It’s been a joy to follow the progress of All Angels as an increasingly confident producer and brand in English Sparkling Wine. Celebrating their tenth anniversary, things have come full circle with a special edition of their first Classic Cuvée release. This blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris from the warm 2014 vintage has now seen an impressive nine years of ageing on the lees.

For a wine with 10 years age – so remarkably fresh and pure – it’s really quite a marvel. There’s beautifully fragrant orchard fruit, lemon zest, a lovely air of hazelnut nougat and acacia honey.

The palate continues the freshness, with crunchy green fruit and vibrant citrus bursts. The fruit is incredibly precise and crisp, whilst the soft bubbles and delicate brioche notes add structure.

Ten years is a real sweet spot for this wine which still demonstrates remarkable youth and precision while teasing the taster with its fine mousse and toasty complexities.

Everflyht Late Release Edition 1

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of this wine ever since tasting it at the WineGB Trade Tasting in early September. In my opinion it represents the realisation of outstanding quality from a producer that has shown huge potential since their inaugural releases two years ago.

The Late Release Edition 1 is an elevation of the estate’s signature Brut. The wine was fermented and aged between stainless steel, old Burgundy barrels and new French oak for 10 months before blending in August 2020. It has then been aged on lees for 44 months – the longest for an Everflyht wine to date.

The Everflyht immediately impresses in the glass with its glistening, radiant gold hue, whilst an evocative nose of red apple, fig and cranberry intrigues.

The palate is expansive; there is a vinous warmth that immediately pleases together with redcurrant, dried strawberry, baked apple and stone fruit. Deeper toasted notes and a yeasty savoury edge continue to add further breadth, whilst the modest residual sugar of 5.3g/l ensures the wine maintains tension and precision.

This is a brilliant wine, and could confidently sit alongside many of England’s finest prestige cuvée releases; only this have the price tag, and is a relative steal at £38 a bottle.

This is the kind of wine that I would go for to kick off Christmas Day alongside morning smoked salmon canapés.

Leonardslee Blanc de Blancs 2020

I tried this wine earlier in the year at the Leonardslee launch in August and it was my favourite of the line-up, although I thought it would benefit from a little longer under cork. My patience was rewarded with this incredibly fragrant expression.

This young and perky Blanc de Blancs is made from the ripe vintage of 2020, and was partially (25%) fermented in oak before ageing on lees for 36 months.

Delicately golden, the fine bubbles lift bright and clean aromas of crisp green orchard fruit and citrus, with hints of shortbread and lime zest.

There’s a bright burst of acidity up front that melts to softer peach, shortbread and hints of sourdough toast. This is really elegant and refined, with some deeper hints of baked apple that add warmth, whilst a non-Malo approach ensures a tight acid line that cuts nicely through the fruit.

Burn Valley Solar Late Harvest 2023

Sweet English wines are relatively few and far between, but I was really keen to try this one having been really impressed with both Burn Valley’s unoaked and oaked expressions of Solaris. Burn Valley harvest the Solaris grapes for this wine as late as possible and then ferment in stainless steel – the resulting wine has an indulgent 112g/l of residual sugar.

The nose is rich with ripe stone fruit and tropics, apricot, peach and mango aromas with a honeysuckle aroma.

The palate is fruity and rounded with a delicious nectar-like sweetness. There’s lots of peach and mango, with lemon and lime cutting through the sweetness.

Perhaps not quite as indulgent as international examples of dessert wine, nevertheless, it is dangerously drinkable thanks to a burst of acidity that balances the wine perfectly!