Another experimental wine, first made in 2019. A few years ago we were doing fortification trials with sparkling-base juice. We were immediately impressed with the liveliness of the combination of residual sweetness and the high natural acidity of the sparkling base. We’ve revisited those trials and created an unusual sweet wine from the pressings fraction of chardonnay grapes picked for our traditional method sparkling, The Silurian. The pressings contain phenolics that aren’t welcome in The Silurian, where delicacy is prime, but when combined with the sweetness of Remi, they contribute structure and texture. Of course the Champenois have been doing the same thing for years, but unlike them we allow partial fermentation before fortification, and keep the wine fresh by holding it only in stainless steel.

2021 VINTAGE

Much cooler conditions prevailed this season, with good winter rains leading into a mild season that saw vines flourish. There was some disease pressure, but minimal disease resulted from careful management. Harvest started a week or two later than recent years, and was interrupted by three days of rain just after the whites were finished and before any reds were picked, but reds suffered no damage. Yields were very good, probably because we were able to irrigate through the drought last year. Unsurprisingly, the mild summer and ripening conditions have given lighter wines with excellent aroma and colour.

WINEMAKING

Chardonnay (74%) and pinot noir (26%) were hand-picked 18-26 February 2021 for sparkling base and whole-bunch pressed to yield juice at an average of 10.1 Baum, and importantly, 9.3 g/l of titratable acidity. Fermentation was arrested after two days by fortification with an unmatured brandy spirit, selected for its array of fresh spice characters, leaving the wine moderately sweet at 5.0 Baum apparent. Bottled July 2021, 445 dozen half-bottles made. Alcohol 14.5% by volume. Vegan friendly?: No (fined with a milk product).

TASTING NOTES

Fresh, bright and very lifted aromatics of gingerbread, musk, aniseed, bergamot and sea-spray. Flavours are in a slightly more familiar spectrum of tangerine and ripe peach. The palate is refreshingly sweet, balanced by cleansing acidity. Try it chilled as an aperitif, but be playful and try it as a spritz or on ice.