Wiston Estate, Blanc de Blancs Vintage

Wiston Estate, Blanc de Blancs VintageWiston's 2015 Blanc de Blancs is one of the finest English sparkling wines that I have encountered to date. It was picked from October 22 to November 3 after a warm, dry October, the yield 15hl ha, 50% fermented in stainless steel and 50% in old Burgundy barrels and aged on the lees for nine months. Dosage is 8g L. This has a fantastic bouquet of bewitching scents of lime, green apple, honeysuckle and slithers of tinned peach, all beautifully defined.

Oakville fruit but Napa Valley on the label

earth and underbrush nuances present on the very fresh mix of red currant and plum aromas

I have also tasted several other examples that have shown similarly if not quite as fresh while meriting scores of between 93 and 94 points

As it often does this offers terrific quality for a villages level wine

silky tone to the dark fruit flavors and gentle acids bringing freshness and energy

The balsamic notes are really starting to open up here in the 2009 Lupicaia

and the 2006 is nothing short of superb

once again

I found this to be somewhat disappointing relative to its usual quality as it’s often one of Bouchard’s best wines

with a long

polished cherries and earthy accents

Lively mineral note