Chapel Down, Brut NV, England

I can’t believe this is the first note I’m writing on English bubbles. This isn’t the best of them but the level here is so high that this is damn good. Smells of lemon curd, dough, struck matchstick, distant toast. Tastes of toast, mineral water, lime and grapefruit pith, medium body and medium+ acidity. Medium finish. 8/18

Citrus and orchard fruit with a touch of lemon zest. Light, delicate bubbles. The palate rounds out nicely, showing a gentle baked brioche note. Fresh, bright and fruity.

Very clean with subtle aromatics. Had this bottle after a very dry champagne and came sweeter. Stil brut, but dosage felt in the low teens. No disgorgement dates or any other useful info. 12%

Wines of interest served by the Master of the Cimbasso (Whitby, New Zealand) : Beautiful, refined bead. Veering towards more of a new world style with crisp green apple notes, but also plenty of autolysis character. Direct and classy.

Had to work hard to get the citrus notes out. A biting soda feel when you first taste it. With time and warming up, then you get the bit of grapefruit and brioche. Distinctly short. Compared to other English fizz, this is at the OK end (not Wow) end and you just should not have to work that hard to like it.

Cracked a bottle that was gifted to my wife by her manager earlier this year to celebrate her doing particularly well at work. Quite reserved, good acidity, very dry a bit like biting into a Bramley apple. No particularly strong autolytic character but a nice mouthfeel and plenty of fine bubbles. A bright, linear Kentish wine. Quite moreish and went well with Dixy Chicken. Could do with slightly longer on the lees, or perhaps a touch of oak IMO to …

Apple, citrus with decent acidity. Velvety mousse. Very light and refreshing.

Too sweet for me, extra Brut, is the anser

Pale gold. Starts with vigorous coarse mousse before settling down into lazy, fine mousse. Cut red apple and strawberry on the nose. In the mouth, gooseberry, green apple, lime on entry. Creamy texture and lovely salt in the mid, brioche coming through. Mouthwatering linear finish. This was enjoyable and a decent crowd pleaser.

G

Clean, precise, gentle bubbles, somehow muted aromatically (early picking!?). I had better bottles of this label, but the creamy, delicate bubbles make the difference from a boring one.12%.

Pale yellow gold with green tint, strong bubbles. Citrus, Granny Smith apple, candied apple, white flowers, cotton candy, and minerality. Medium bodied, medium-high acidity, medium structure, medium alcohol and long finish. Fresh, fruity and fleshy. Nice party sparkling wine but a little sweet and unrefined for my taste.

Eye: Pale straw, golden flecks. Consistent delicate fine bubbles. Nose: Toast, caramel, some apple. Palate: Pleasant acidity. Nice and round. Red and green apple. Lemon, some pastry. Toast. Finish: Medium length. Lemon and green apple. A faint touch of something tropical. Overall: Pleasant and tasty, if not exactly transcendent. A suitable intro to English sparkling. It does make me really wish I had some oysters to accompany it.

Quite acidic. Would benefit from 5 yrs cellaring

Very BdB in style, crisp, white rocks, chalk. Something chewy in the finish, suspect this has slightly more dosage than I prefer but nevertheless a nice drink that easily can pass for a Champagne.

Clean, lemony and floral, delicate and medium to light bodied. Some gentle creaminess is making it even more easy drinking. 12%

Very primary, but lacks concentration and precision; overly sweet.

(wset 4 tasting note) Medium lemon Medium intense, Pear, yellow apple, lemon, grape, elderflower, Off dry, high acidity, medium alcohol, light body, medium intensity, creamy mousse Pear, yellow apple, lemon, grape, elderflower, grapefruit Medium minus finish (acidity takes over) There is good balance between primary fruit aromas and acidity. The length is sufficient with the intensity of primary fruit aromas of good level. There is a slight bitterness that disturbs the complexity and gives the wine a slightly coarse texture. …

Perfectly acceptable fizz - clean, citrus and green apple, dry, high acidity, slips down very easily. But lacks complexity and the finish is on the short side.

This is with lively floral nose and tonnes of crispy apples in the mouth. Medium weighted, well balanced, easy drinking.

No info on the bottle except Lot 2257L. From the producer website: 45/41/11/3 C/PN/PM/PB (plus a rather ridiculous dog-whistle for the Brexiteers about freedom from grape variety restrictions allowing them to have the Pinot Blanc, which is, of course, a variety allowed in champagne). 8g/l dosage. On first opening this is rather aggressive, tart and unapproachable, but it takes just a few minutes of air for it to smooth out nicely. The nose is somewhat floral, with hints of strawberry …

Nose: yeast, citrus, quince, strawberry. Palate: tart, some minerality, brioche. Quite sharp, and not as mellow as some ESW have gotten over the past couple years. Some potential for development here, so maybe save some for later?

Great all-rounder/xmas wine

Pale straw, lively delicate mousse. Aromas of bakery and apple danish. Dry with a note of sweetness (remaining fruit sugar?), apple, strawberry and lime pith. A delicious quaff.

Red apple, citrus fruits and freshly baked bread, some strawberry and quince on the palate. Fine persistent mousse - although perhaps a little too frothy. Clean finish. Opens up with time in the glass to show some autolysis, although only aged 18 months on the lees. Very good value at the Waitrose 25% off price or £120 for 6.

Sharp, clean, very precise on the palate. Notes of quince and pear.

British Bubbles in Tokyo (Fireking Cafe, Shibuya, Tokyo) : WOTN for me! Big shortbread on the aftertaste. Terrific acidity. Prominent baked & stewed apple flavor initially...rich & creamy, but I wish the bubbles were finer. Outshines many a more expensive bottle. Quality English sparkling! Group rating #1/6 (I agree!)

Bestselling English wine - apparently Green apple, hedgerow flowers and brioche on the nose. Fresh fruit, green apple, full body, nice acidity, some length. It's not going to set the world on fire but this is well-made, well-balanced, very drinkable fizz. Based on 2019 vintage, bottled June 2020. 18 months on lees. 8.5g per litre

Sweet, cidery, coarse bubbles. Enough malic acid to peel your teeth and enough sugar to more than balance it out, leaving a cloying mess. Vaguely similar to Sprite, but cheaper tasting. Avoid.

Crisp., green apples, quite dry. Very refreshing. Will buy again.

Beautiful apple on the nose. Not much age. Toast, vanilla. Medium+ acid

Pinot Noir,Chardonnay,Pinot Blanc,Pinot Meunier. Really rather disappointing and off the pace of the best English sparkling.

Extra ordinarie. Very nice. Beautiful. Bravo. British bubbles - here we come!

Undeniably a triumph of English winemaking. It's very exciting to see English wine this good. There are countless champagnes less good than this for more money. Crystalline pale yellow colour, huge nose of bright zesty lemons, peaches and white flowers. Full of energy and vitality. Impeccably balanced. Delicate mousse. Impressive length - goes on and on and delivers more than just citrus and buttery biscuits and stone fruit - it's got minerality, freshness and even a touch of white pepper. …

Tasted at the winery. A blend of chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier and pinot blanc. Clear light gold appearance. A light floral nose. The palate is citrusy and refreshing, with a tingle in the throat. An excellent example of an English sparkling white at a reasonable price.

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Chapel Down, Brut NV, England

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