WINE REVIEW
This is one of the most important wines in the current era of English winemaking. That’s no mean feat. as there have been a lot of outstanding wines over the last few years in particular, but this wine personifies the strive for quality, for distinction and for exploration that Langham Wine Estate and winemaker Tommy Grimshaw have worked to achieve.
The first edition of Perpetual is made with the best Chardonnay from the 2017, 2018 and 2019 vintages. The wine takes the foundations of the perpetual cuvée principles of iconic Champagne producer Anselme Selosse. With each subsequent vintage, Perpetual will gain complexity and development, now housed in a 2000L Slavonian Oak foudre from Tuscany.
So, with all this build-up, a profound 99 points and ‘Supreme Champion’ Trophy at WineGB awards, the question is: does it live up to the hype? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’.
Let’s start with the colour: strikingly golden and developed thanks to the maturity, and the micro-oxidation large format oak ageing. The nose is immediately engaging, with a fusion of citrus, cooking apples, almond nougat and walnut brittle aromas.
The palate is striking and direct thanks to the 1.5g/l dosage but it’s never blunt. The precision, backed by a crystalline core of salty salinity, is generously accompanied by vinous, still Chardonnay textures that sometimes recall the gunflint smokiness of a great Burgundy. The Chardonnay fruit continues to come to the forefront as the wine breathes in the glass, and with a lingering Sherry-like walnut complexity.
What really resonates is how empathetic the oak is to this wine. It dances around the fringes of the palate, adding nuance, intrigue, hints of smoke and spice to the wine’s otherwise orchard fruit and roasted nut depth.
Overall, this is a stand-out expression of English Chardonnay. A true prestige English Sparkling Wine that makes a big statement and sets the stage for a continued prosperous future for Langham.
