About this WINE
Rathfinny
Rathfinny Wine Estate is a vineyard and winery in Sussex, England. The first vines were planted in 2012 by owners Mark and Sarah Driver, who bought the property (then a farm growing cereals) in 2010. The estate sits on a south-facing slope of chalk soils in the South Downs, just three miles from the English Channel. Rathfinny produces a range of vintage-only English sparkling wines using the traditional method.
Sussex
Located in southern England, Sussex has emerged as a promising region for wine production in recent years.
The country's cool climate and chalky soil, reminiscent of the renowned Champagne region in France, have created favourable conditions for vineyards to flourish.
Winemaking in Sussex focuses on sparkling wines made from traditional methods using classic grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.
Champagne blend
Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
26% of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.
Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district.
The final component is Pinot Meunier and this constitutes nearly 35% of the plantings. Its durability and resistance to spring frosts make the Marne Valley, a notorious frost pocket, its natural home. It ripens well in poor years and produces a soft, fruity style of wine that is ideal for blending with the more assertive flavours of Pinot Noir. Producers allege that Pinot Meunier lacks ageing potential, but this does not deter Krug from including around 15% of it in their final blends.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
The excellent British summer of 2018 yielded brilliant fruit at harvest. This has given a sunny disposition to this superb English sparkling wine. The grapes are grown on the South Downs National Park, where the clay-loam soils over free-draining chalk give mineral definition to the wines.
This sparkling rosé is a blend of 81% Pinot Noir, 13% Chardonnay and 6% Pinot Meunier. It is pale pink in colour, with plenty of vibrancy. The nose is wild, with garden flowers and cool strawberry notes. The palate demonstrates the quality of Rathfinny’s Pinot Noir, with red berry and blood orange flavours. This is nicely toasty.
Davy Żyw, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (June 2023)
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee