Simpsons - ‘Rabbit Hole’ Pinot Noir, Kent, England (2023)

TASTING NOTES

A wonderful ruby / garnet hue and displays notes of mulberry with violet, cherry and sweet spice aromas. On the palate there is ripe, red berry flavours with hints of forest floor. It is perfectly balanced with an elegant structure and silky tannins, leading to a lingering, textured finish.

These low-yielding Burgundian Pinot Noir clones were gently pumped over once
a day for a period of two weeks. A component of the blend was vinified using the traditional technique of pigéage (punchdown). Once the primary fermentation was complete, the wine was drained off its skins into old (80%) and new (20%) French (75%) and American (25%) oak barrels, where it underwent malolactic fermentation. After six months ageing in barrels, the wine was lightly filtered and bottled in late spring 2024. 1.1 g/l RS.

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.