Ancre Hill Estates, Sparkling Blanc de Blancs

Ripe grapefruit and lemon zest, tart apple pie; long finish, Autolysis and brioche to the fore.

Ancre Hill Estates is a Demeter certified Biodynamic & Organic producer snuggled in the South-East corner of Wales, benefitting from the protection of the Cambrian Mountains and Brecon Beacons to the West.  The vines are grown at around 50 degrees Northern Latitude at the limit of a grape variety’s ability to ripen, producing alluring and refreshing wines with crisp acidities and purity of fruit. Production averages some 30,000 bottles of wine a year from the 8 hectare Estate.  Jean du Plessis has joined up in partnership with the Morris family, adding a South African perspective to making natural wines with minimal interference in an ultimate, purpose-built, sustainable straw-bale Winery. The Estate’s philosophy is that a wine’s essence should reflect its origin, emphasizing terroir’s importance and the rejection of soil-degrading chemicals, thus helping to create wines which are true to vintage and provenance - spontaneous fermentations by indigenous yeasts, no fining or filtering, and a long, slow élevage for the wines with extended time on the lees.