After a brief summer hiatus, this month I’ve been back exploring the latest and greatest English Wine releases. On the sparkling side, September’s highlights include the latest 2021 base vintage release of the always-captivating Langham Corallian Classic Cuvée NV. Next up was one of my most anticipated releases of the year: Solstice by Danbury Ridge – 1st Edition. This is an expressive and exuberant sparkling wine that maintains the estate’s propensity for concentrated and outstanding wines. And then I have the Beacon Down Blanc de Blancs 2017, a deliciously ripe Chardonnay sparkling from one of the country’s hidden gem producers.

On to still wines, and there’s another cracker from Burn Valley with their Regent 2022, an impressively deep and concentrated red wine. Staying in Norfolk, Winbirri’s Bacchus 2023 delivers in spades once again as one of the country’s finest expressions of the Bacchus grape. I end my selection with a beautifully clean expression of Chardonnay from Oastbrook Estate which was my highlight from their most recent 2023 releases.

Look out next month for a few more exciting new releases, as well as a look into some of the emerging grape varieties that are starting to be explored across the country.

Langham Corallian Classic Cuvée NV (2021 Base)

There aren’t many producers as immediately recognisable as Langham Estate in Dorset. Their penchant for a nutty, complex and lightly oxidative style appeals immensely to critics and wine enthusiasts like myself, but the softness of touch and superb value for money make their wines accessible to the mainstream consumer too.

This is the latest Corallian which is Chardonnay dominant (70%), with 21% Pinot Noir and 9% Pinot Meunier. For a wine that has just 16 months on lees, and a dosage of 2g/l, this is one of the most complex and fulfilling ‘Classic Cuvée’ style English wines on the market.

Surprisingly deep golden in hue for a wine of this style, the nose is evocative, with baked apple, a citrus medley and intense aromas of roasted nuts.

The palate is perfectly poised, straddling the line between leanness and decidedly nutty complexity; there’s an ultra-low dosage of 2g/l, with soft and supple bubbles and ripe orchard fruit richness. So well-composed, this is a brilliant wine that once again over-delivers at its incredibly appealing price point.

Solstice by Danbury Ridge – 1st Edition

While remaining firmly focused on producing world-class still wines, Solstice has been in development at Danbury Ridge since the first harvest. At a recent tasting, consultant John Atkinson, very much an extended part of the Danbury Ridge family, described the approach as “bringing the intensities and sensitivities of still winemaking into sparkling winemaking”.

Winemaker Liam Idzikowski continued: “Just to have made another aperitif-style sparkling wine had no appeal to me whatsoever.” Solstice certainly has a lot of character, owing to considered production involving up to six months of fermentation in oak (mostly neutral, with 10% young or new oak) of the 2019 base wine which forms 75% of this multi-vintage blend.

A further 25% of foudre-aged Solera (from 2018, ’19 and ’20) was blended in for Solstice 1st Edition. The clever integration of dosage liquer, further aged in oak barrels that on its own “tastes like PX”, according to Liam, brings further nuance and suggestions of maturity.

The resulting wine is radiant and expressive, offering notes of apricot, blood orange and orange blossom as well as a pronounced almond nuttiness and subtle oxidative complexity. At its core is a tightly wound acidity that tempers the wine’s appealing broadness.

Solstice is a striking and distinctive wine that feels squarely aimed at those who like their sparkling wine to be textural and nuanced. Overall, this is a fascinating addition to the Danbury Ridge line-up.

Beacon Down Blanc de Blancs 2017

One of the most fascinating features of following the rapidly growing English Wine Industry is that there are great discoveries at every turn. I first discovered Beacon Down’s aromatic still wines in 2019, including a rather rare English Riesling, yet somehow their wines have escaped my attention in the past few years.

I had the chance to sample their perfectly positioned Blanc de Blancs 2017 this month, and it’s another real highlight in an already strong month of wine discoveries. With six years of ageing on the lees, this Sussex Chardonnay is opulent and ripe with a nose full of baked apple, ripe stone fruit, warm brioche and toasty complexities.

The palate is full and generous, opening with apple Tarte Tatin, peach pudding and a vibrant zesty cut-through. There’s also suggestive creaminess and lovely brioche and pastry depth.

This really impressed me, as did the price; it’s a relatively developed vintage Blanc de Blancs at under £35! Definitely one to try.

Burn Valley Regent 2022

I have to say that I’m something of a growing fan of the Regent grape. This dark-skinned variety, a cross between the even lesser-known Chambourcin and Diana, is capable of producing an accomplished medium-bodied red wine.

Burn Valley’s considered approach once again shines through here, with the wine being fermented on skins for three weeks before ageing in a mixture of new and aged American and Hungarian oak for twelve months.

The resulting wine is beautifully rich in colour – hues of dark ruby and magenta are echoed by a nose full of cherry, ripe strawberry dark floral aromatics and a spicy mix of clove, vanilla and cedarwood.

On the palate this is delightfully fleshy and ripe, with the promised richness of supple red fruit and gentle pluminess. There’s a pleasing grip of tannin that helps to deliver on the promise of an excellent medium-bodied English red wine.

Winbirri Bacchus 2023

Is there a wine that more perfectly demonstrates the potential of English Bacchus year on year? There are some great examples out there, but Winbirri do it so well that it’s often my first shout out when someone asks me where to start with English Bacchus.

The Norfolk vineyard’s 2023 vintage is another stunner. Aromatically true to variety, the 2023 is packed full of grapefruit, cut grass, nettle and green tropical fruit aromatics, with just a hint of flinty smoke and floral character.

This packs a punch on the palate too, with a zesty fusion of lime and pink grapefruit, as well as a floral and grassy texture. This is one of the most complete ‘classic’ Bacchus I’ve had.

I’ve previously compared this to some of New Zealand’s finest Sauvignon, which favour blackcurrant/tomato leaf aromatics over classic varietal traits. Lee Dyer does for Bacchus exactly what producers like Greywacke and Dog Point do for Sauvignon Blanc.

Oastbrook Chardonnay 2023

America and Nick Brewer planted their vines in Sussex in 2018 when America was studying viticulture at Plumpton College. The duo have come a long way, building a diverse and successful wine hospitality business as well as curating a selection of award-winning wines.

This Chardonnay is the latest release from the 2023 vintage, made with Chardonnay aged in three-year barrels and did not go through malolactic fermentation.

On the nose there’s lots of apple and pear with suggestions of nectarine, honeysuckle and peach, as well as a twist of lemon zest.

The palate is crisp with bursts of green orchard fruit and juicy nectarine. There’s a lovely concentration to the fruit, which makes a big statement considering that the 2023 vintage was not without its challenges.