Wine Advisor
Rathfinny, Blanc de Noirs Brut 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Anne Krebiehl MW
The 2020 Brut Blanc de Noirs is a blend of 86% Pinot Noir and 14% Meunier, fermented in stainless steel with full malolactic conversion. It spent three years on lees and immediately reveals its scented nature. Apple blossom and the tart, ripe flesh of crunchy red apple combine with slight smokiness on the nose. The palate is foamy and smooth, showcasing the rounded fruit of 2020 with some suppleness and more of that smokiness, which also lingers on the smooth, supple finish. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: February 2025.
About the Producer
Husband and wife Mark and Sarah Driver established the Rathfinny Wine Estate in 2010 on a working arable farm with the express intention of producing some of the world's finest quality English sparkling wines. The estate's vision is much more than producing outstanding Sussex Sparkling wine. Rathfinny aims to contribute something special to the unique spirit of place in this beautiful part of the South Downs. Rathfinny once was a working arable farm in the South Downs of Sussex, and it's first 50 acres of vines were planted in April 2012. All of their grapes come from the single-site Vineyard, which means the estate have 385,000 vines across 93 hectares (230 acres). The varieties planted are predominantly Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier for the English Sparkling wines. In addition, they have smaller blocks of Pinot Gris for the Cradle Valley still wine. The Romans claimed the best location to plant a vineyard was three miles from the sea. It's also where Rathfinny is located. Its vines are set out on an ideal south-facing slope, just three miles from the English Channel, where its unique micro-climate and the free-draining chalky soils create superb grape-growing conditions. Rathfinny is the world's first grower-producer of sparkling wine to achieve the B Corp accolade.
