The Chilterns, the chalk escarpment which runs from Goring in Oxfordshire to Hitchin in Hertfordshire, are ideally suited to viniculture. But up till now, comparatively few vineyards have been planted in the region. That is now changing. Hundred Hills, located west of the Oxfordshire village of Pishill in the Stonor Valley, is one of a new group of Chiltern vineyards benefiting from that free-draining chalk soil.
Owners Stephen Duckett and his wife Fiona were always lovers of vintage Champagne but at a tasting they encountered Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs (what used to be called Première Cuvée) 1992 and were flabbergasted by the quality and potential. They had dreams of emulating Nyetimber and weren’t particularly bothered where they planted as long as there was chalk and the right climate. Consulting French expertise, they settled on a steep chalk valley facing south and north. Having half the 17-hectare vineyard facing north must have raised a few eyebrows amongst viticulturists but with warmer summers it’s a rare season when they don’t use grapes from the cooler parts of the site. They grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but have eschewed Pinot Meunier. This is because it would add extra unwanted acidity to wines that already have their fair share and also Pinot Meunier doesn’t quite have the ageing potential that the other two noble varieties have.
With Stephen in the US on a sales trip, it was Rupert Crick who agreed to take me round the vineyard and winery. Rupert trained as a sommelier and has worked at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. He puts his expertise to good use as Head of Hospitality and International Sales at Hundred Hills. Rupert told me that part of the advantages of having a cool location like Hundred Hills was the grapes’ longer ‘hang time’ on the vine, allowing for a wider scope of flavour and more vibrant fruit character to develop. They grow a number of different clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on both slopes which means that they have a panoply of options to play with when it comes to blending. Frosts are rarely a problem owing to the long slope out of Henley, and being at the valley’s head means the cold air flows down and away from the vines towards the riverside town, much to the chagrin of gardeners there!
After a walk around the vineyard (a good workout as these are some of the steepest vineyard slopes in England), we headed to the winery where we met Operations Manager Neil Griffin who was busy with both Malolactic Fermentation (which was coming to the end) and labelling. Stephen didn’t use ‘Malo’ for his first wines but soon realised it was an extra dimension he had to consider. Rupert also showed me one of the two massive Coquard presses; these titans can crush 4 tonnes of grapes at a time.
After a visit to the Magnums Room (Stephen and Fiona take magnums very seriously), it was then on to the Tasting Room where Rupert served me several wines from their portfolio: first a Preamble No. 2. The ‘Preamble’ nomenclature refers to the first wine they produced in 2016 and they continued to use the combination of roughly 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir in subsequent Preambles. In 2017 they made two Preambles, No.1 and No.2. No.1 was a pass of the earlier picked grapes, No.2 the later; they no longer make a Preamble No.1 – those younger grapes get blended into other wines. Next came the Blanc de Noirs 2019 followed by a Zero Dosage from the brilliant 2018 vintage and a glorious, savoury 2018 rosé. In my tasting I encountered the full spectrum of fruit flavours from citrus through to tropical, a tingling acidity that is marked but really refreshes and is in balance, and a complexity from the Malo and oak treatment.
Hundred Hills’ wines are available from local delis like The Pavilion in Henley and wine merchants such as Hedonism but you can turn up at the cellar door on most days and just purchase a bottle. They also have a scheme called Friends of Hundred Hills which provides you with case discounts and invitations to various tastings, principally in the summer and at Christmas.
Everything has the patina of class at Hundred Hills from the state-of-the-art winery and stylish tasting room to the finished product – the beautifully designed bottles and the juice inside. Stephen and Fiona are steeped in sparkling wine culture. I’m very glad that their ideas have been vindicated and their patience rewarded.
All photos with thanks to Hundred Hills
