Our 2021 Sauvignon Blanc: One of the best in the world!

It is true to say that a few eyebrows were raised when I first planted our Sauvignon Blanc vines in 2015 in the Cotswolds. It was a risky trial planting on a virgin site and in the South West of England when the majority of vineyards were located in the South East. It was actually a bit of an indulgence as I have always loved a cool climate Sauvignon Blanc, particularly from the Loire Valley.

Our vineyards are located in the South Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the steep slopes and Cotswold brash soils typical of the area. Cotswold brash, is poor grade arable soil with a shallow layer of stony topsoil, typically 8-12 inches over limestone. Our soil is free draining, full of fossils and a mean challenge for any cultivation machinery or post knocker. However the vines thrive in this environment and send their roots down deep into the limestone rock. During the drought of the summer of 2022, they looked a vibrant green against the parched grasslands.

The particular site where our Sauvignon Blanc vines are planted is one of the steepest fields in our Doverow vineyard, due South facing with lovely views across the valley to Selsley Common to the South and the Severn Vale to the West. Historic vineyards are recorded in the area by the Domesday Book of 1086 (Stanhaus), now Stonehouse. In the 12^th Century the County of Gloucestershire is mentioned by historian William of Malmesbury as being ‘abundant’ with vineyards and producing wines that were comparable to those from France: "no county in England has so many or so good vineyards as this for either fertility or sweetness of the grape; the wine has in it no unpleasant tartness or eagerness and is little inferior to the French in sweetness." 

Less than a handful of English vineyards had planted Sauvignon Blanc at the time we started our trial, in 2015. Sauvignon Blanc is a late ripener compared to Bacchus, Ortega and other varieties we plant for our still wines. It would need to hang on the vines later than our Chardonnay destined for sparkling wine which can be picked as late as the end of October or even into November (grapes for sparkling wine do not need to reach the ripeness levels required for still wine production), In a late ripening year, would it ripen at all? There was no history of Sauvignon Blanc grown in England and certainly not in the Cotswolds for reference. However, some of the best Sauvignon Blanc wines are grown in cool climates and in limestone soils. It was worth a trial.

In the Spring of 2015 we went ahead and planted 2,000 Sauvignon Blanc vines, with 3 different clones at Westrip (being close to the hamlet of the same name). The steepness of the slope meant the planting machine had to reverse up the hill before planting each row. However, the young vines thrived and in 2017 we harvested a small crop (under a tonne) for our first vintage wine. The slopes are not only steep, but at the highest point, they reach 100m above sea level being half way up Doverow Hill. The Westrip fruit benefits from the increased intensity of the sun on the precipitous slopes and the 2017 grapes tasted almost of pure gooseberry. The vibrancy of the fruit was impressive. Even at the pressing stage the aromas were classic Sauvignon Blanc, gooseberry, cut grass, bell pepper.

In 2016, Jeremy Mount, our wine maker joined the team, hot off the press (pun intended) from working at the Matua Winery in Marlborough, New Zealand. As you might have expected, Matua produce a very large volume of Sauvignon Blanc. We interviewed via skype and one of Jeremy’s first questions was about the varieties we had planted. If you could have heard an ‘eyebrow’ raised, it was clearly audible in the moment of silence that followed the discovery we had planted some Sauvignon Blanc.

Under Jeremy’s guidance, our 2016 wines had already won a clutch of medals in competition. The 2017 harvest was the second to be processed through our own winery. It was bottled during the very cold spell in February 2018 known as The Beast from the East and I remember enjoying a glass of the freshly bottled Sauvignon Blanc sitting in the snow with Chloe, my daughter, just before walking home (the vineyard was inaccessible by car due to the snow). We were excited…

History may record that Wooodchester Valley went on to produce the first international medal winning English Sauvignon Blanc when the 2017 vintage won a silver medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition 2018. The impressive 2018 vintage went on to win two ground breaking International Gold Medals in the IWSC (96 points) and the Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters.

Vintage 2021 – A challenging year produces a Global Master

2021 had an inauspicious start to the season. It was the coldest April on record and many vineyards suffered frost damage at the budburst stage. Budburst in Sauvignon Blanc is later than Chardonnay and this, coupled with the steep slopes (allowing cold air drainage) means our Sauvignon Blanc vines generally escape damage from frost. After a late budburst, the summer was unremarkable and the many promised heatwaves were no shows, with the exception of a hot spell in July which saved flowering. We were very fortunate that the rains that plagued the South East, passed us by and we did not suffer the mildew that hit some regions with a vengeance. After a lacklustre, dull August, we were all a bit nervous about harvest 2021. At the beginning of September, it was clear that it would start later than normal and the grapes needed a lot more sunshine and warmth to ripen. Looking back at my harvest report for 2021, I wrote:-

“Fortunately, nature has a way of compensating and the warm and sunny days in September and October saved the day. It was then a waiting game as we tested sugars and acids on a regular basis to determine when to pick. We netted vines and put up defences against the badgers and other wild life. Harvest finally started 3 weeks later than 2020 on the 26th September. It was an intense harvest with a session of picking for 12 days without a break mid harvest. Nerves were tested with some intervals of heavy rain, but the decision to let the grapes hang as long as possible has paid off in terms of quality, aromas and flavours of the 2021 fruit . Harvest finished on the 2nd November.”

The Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested on the 28th October 2021. It was a beautiful autumn morning and four days before a very clear rainbow had formed over the Westrip vineyard. Sauvignon Blanc grapes are expressive and in good years you can taste those classic Sauvignon Blanc flavours. In 2021 they were much more expressive than the subtle 2020 vintage and more mature and balanced than the 2017 vintage. From the first taste of the pressed juice to the finished wine, we were excited about its potential. It has taken a little time to reach its peak and in November we were thrilled when the 2021 vintage was awarded the highest score and the highest award in the unoaked category of the Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters. In very good company and beating off contenders from around the world, it was the first English still wine to be awarded a Master in this competition judged blind by Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers whose tasting note read:-

“This is a perfect example of why we taste blind - partly to leave any preconceptions behind us, and partly for the absolute joy of surprise when something unexpected turns out to be wonderful. And this wine was, indeed, wonderful. It starts with an intense gooseberry nose, building to reveal undertones of ripe lemon. On the palate there is bright, taut acidity and a juicy mouthfeel. Very well balanced, there's just a hint of sweetness on the finish, which is long and textured. A very engaging wine, perfect for matching with asparagus or goat's cheese.”

It is a phenomenal result for our small Cotswold vineyard.

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