Simpsons - ‘Roman Road', Chardonnay, Kent, England (2022)

TASTING NOTES

Pale straw hued, with a complex matrix of lemon and honeysuckle, white peach, vanilla and flint on the nose, this Chardonnay displays mouth-watering, ripe fruit intensity balanced with an elegant minerality, smooth macadamia nut texture and a long, lingering finish.

The grapes (clone 548) were harvested during the last week of October in order to find the perfect balance of aroma, flavour and acidity. Once pressed, the juice was left to settle for 12 hours then racked to both barrel and stainless-steel tanks with a high level of solids. A combination of conventional and indigenous yeasts were used to ferment the several batches that formed the final Roman Road blend.  The wine went through a full malolactic fermentation.

25% of the final blend was fermented in new French oak with 25% aged in older French barrels. Bâtonnage of certain barrels was completed with the frequency and duration dependent on taste. The remaining 50% of the blend stayed on fermentation lees in stainless-steel tanks, however was not stirred, by way of passive bâtonnage. Given the microbial stability of the wine, it received just a light earth filtration prior to bottling in Spring 2023.

Owned and operated by Ruth and Charles Simpson, this English wine estate was
established in 2012 and officially opened its doors in 2016. Ruth and Charles have a long and successful history in the wine industry. For 17 years, their Languedoc estate, Domaine Sainte Rose, has crafted award-winning wines from that region’s warm, sunny climes. Their British roots brought them back to the southern slopes of England to fulfill the enormous potential of the region for making elegant, cool-climate wines, both still and sparkling. Their two vineyards are located in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, overlooking the gently undulating English countryside.

This one of the sunniest corners of Great Britain. The region’s lime-rich, chalky soils and moderate climate are similar to that of Champagne and Burgundy, making grape selection an easy choice; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier dominate plantings. The long, cool ripening period here means that the best wines exhibit pure varietal flavours along with elegant acidity and a complex character. These vineyards are planted almost exclusively on south-facing slopes, ensuring that grapes reach full
phenolic and sugar ripeness each year and are protected from the area’s fierce winds and spring frost.

Elham Valley is an unspoiled seam in the North Downs of the county of Kent, where the
contours of the land, the climate and the soil could scarcely be improved upon for viticulture. The intensely lime-rich chalk soil forms part of the same chalk ridge that stretches from southern England to the French Champagne region and on to Burgundy.