Louis Pommery

United Kingdom, English Sparkling Wine

The house revealed its plans to put down roots in England in 2014, announcing a partnership with Hampshire’s Hattingley Valley to use their facilities to produce its first English sparkler – Louis Pommery England. At the same time, Pommery was shoring up the purchase of a 40-hectare site called Pinglestone in Alresford, Hampshire, overseen by Clément Pierlot, who has been director of Vranken-Pommery‘s vineyards since 2004. In 2014, he took charge of oenological development, and was appointed Pommery’s new chef de cave last year, taking over from Thierry Gasco, whose attention has been refocused on directing Pommery’s operations in the US, England and the south of France.

This is the first English sparkling wine launched by a Champagne producer. It’s the result of a partnership between Champagne Pommery and Hampshire-based winery Hattingley Valley. The wine is named Louis Pommery, which is Pommery’s new brand for its non-Champagne sparklers, which now also include a Californian wine. The Pommery chef de cave Theirry Gasco has blended this wine with Hattingley’s Emma Rice, and it’s a Pinot-dominant blend based on the 2015 vintage. Production is 15 000 bottles. Pommery have also purchased 40 hectares of land in Hampshire which has just been planted. Jamie Goode, www.wineanorak.com  (Nov 2018)


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