WINE REVIEW
I have followed Exton Park for nearly as long as I have run this website. They have been a producer that has intrigued, innovated and inspired over the last ten years. One of their early innovative releases was the industry’s first Pinot Meunier Rosé, a distinctive and complex rosé made from the 2014 vintage with just 12 months on lees. To this day that wine remains one of my favourites from the Hampshire producer.
Things have now come full circle with this latest release, an elevated version of the original Meunier, but now with nearly ten years on the lees.
The wine shows beautiful light copper/salmon flesh hues, and the nose intrigues with a fusion of dried cranberry, cherry and Baklava pastry, whilst still retaining an air of lemon and mineral freshness that is the very signature of Exton Park.
The palate is profound and diverse, one minute deep, savoury and complex, the next energetic, tense almost. There’s a real evolution to this wine, with flavours of nutty pastry, dried cherry and even white chocolate. I also picked up on the floral qualities that Meunier often only shows in youth – a touch of rosé petal and cherry blossom perhaps?
Tension and vibrant acidity ensure the more complex, savoury tones never overwhelm, and bring elegance and structure. This is very different, and a worthy follow-up to Exton Park’s previous adventures in varietal Meunier sparkling wines.
