DORSET CHARDONNAY

Langham Estate is proudly independent and grow all their own grapes giving them total control and the ability to produce exactly the wines they want. With a south-facing aspect, chalk soils and a unique micro-climate, Langham's 'Crawthorne' Vineyard provides the perfect terroir for ripening the classic Champagne varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

The viticulture here is the latest development in agriculture at this historic, farming estate with established hedgerows and mature woodland providing natural wind breaks and habitat for a large variety of beneficial organisms.

This great Vineyard potential was identified by John Langham and now under his son Justin the work is being intensified and the number of vines has increased to more than 30 acres.

They work with a low-intervention approach to both grape growing and wine production, constantly striving to minimise our environmental impact and produce honest wines that reflect their Dorset terroir.

All grapes are handpicked, and rigorous vineyard selection ensures only the highest quality grapes arrive at the winery.

Vineyard manager Olly Whitfield tends the 'holy trinity' of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with different vine management techniques for each variety. This maximises the benefits of the south facing aspect and chalk heavy soils that results in wines with great structure and finesse.

In the cellar, head winemaker Tommy Grimshaw utilizes a variety of ex Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne barrels – along with stainless steel to give as many blending fragments as possible, which are separated by press load. Each fragment of base wine goes through spontaneous, wild fermentation and none are fined or filtered. Creating complex and interesting base wines is at the heart of what Langham Estate does, reducing reliance on longer lees aging and bringing wines to the market earlier at a competitive cost price.

The results are impressive - this super wine represents unusually good value for the immense quality.

Awarded Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year 2020 by the IWSC competition and winning an array of medals: Gold for Blanc de Blancs 2015 & silver for Culver, Corallian, Pinot Meunier & Rosé.