Low-lying Essex has witnessed the steepest rise in reputation of any of England’s burgeoning wine regions. A county itself largely composed of clay, gravel and sand that has been dragged and deposited from elsewhere. Is now a home-from-home to a winemaking culture that only recently crossed the Channel.
Long, dry summers give Essex a head start. Fruit flavours are always a tad more exuberant than elsewhere, and the body of the wine is inherently fuller. Beyond this, there’s something irrepressible and spirited about this estuarine corner of England that spills over into Libertine.
This English sparkling wine blends two noble varieties – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It’s a collaboration between two English Masters of Wine who have spent much of their time in exile, winemaking abroad. Essex surprised them too. For sparkling wine, it seems, there really is no place like home.
“Not so much the Wild West and the Wild East. Could I fall in love with Essex after an eighteen-year relationship with Champagne?…Yes!” John Atkinson MW.
“Libertine encapsulates what we dreamt was possible, proving that true fruit ripeness was achievable in Essex, in a manner that we had not seen in the UK before. I could not be more pleased with the result” Liam Steevenson MW.
Low-lying Essex has witnessed the steepest rise in reputation of any of England’s burgeoning wine regions. A county itself largely composed of clay, gravel and sand that has been dragged and deposited from elsewhere. Is now a home-from-home to a winemaking culture that only recently crossed the Channel.
Long, dry summers give Essex a head start. Fruit flavours are always a tad more exuberant than elsewhere, and the body of the wine is inherently fuller. Beyond this, there’s something irrepressible and spirited about this estuarine corner of England that spills over into Libertine.
This English sparkling wine blends two noble varieties – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It’s a collaboration between two English Masters of Wine who have spent much of their time in exile, winemaking abroad. Essex surprised them too. For sparkling wine, it seems, there really is no place like home.
“Not so much the Wild West and the Wild East. Could I fall in love with Essex after an eighteen-year relationship with Champagne?…Yes!” John Atkinson MW.
“Libertine encapsulates what we dreamt was possible, proving that true fruit ripeness was achievable in Essex, in a manner that we had not seen in the UK before. I could not be more pleased with the result” Liam Steevenson MW.
Tasting Note
An enticing salmon pink, with a rustic hue and fine, persistent bubbles.
Bright summer red fruits, strawberries and raspberries with a complex spice note.
Given the fruits ripeness on the nose, the palate starts surprisingly dry. Refined with prominent red fruit flavours and a long, fresh finish.
Tech Sheet