“Leonora’s” wines are generally dry and elegant, similar to a dry Riesling in style. They can be drunk young but develop in the bottle, showing complex honey overtones when approaching four years old or more. They are made from Kernling grapes, a first cross from Riesling that ripens to pink - it is the pink clone of the better-known Kerner grape.
“Jane’s” wines, from golden Madeleine Angevine grapes are light and crisp with a flower-scented nose and citrus notes, sometimes with a hint of elderflower and on the finish, gooseberry. Often likened to a restrained Sauvignon Blanc in style. Delightful as an aperitif, for a party, in a summer garden or just for a refreshing glass at home. Best drunk young and fresh, within 2-3 years.
Now and then we produce a blend of our two varietals, named “Elizabeth’s” after our daughter Liz. These wines, when available, make good wines to pair with food with the structure of the Kernling coupled with upfront fruit from the Madeleine.
We have two French oak barriques giving a small quantity of barrel-matured wine in addition to our two varietals. From 2016 we have used barriques from Seguin Moreau of Cognac, a type known as "Fraîcheur" made especially for light varietals, with fine grained French oak staves, very light toast and heads made from acacia rather than oak, to add brightness to the flavour.
2019 was a second big harvest after the high yielding, hot summer of 2018, though the cooler weather resulted in higher acids in the late-ripening Kernling. We decided to try it as a traditional method sparkling winewhere the acidity would be a plus. After a 50% malo-lactic fermentation it was bottled in August 2020. Just under 3000 bottles. We sold a little pre-disgorging, still under crown cork, over Christmas 2020 as a Pet Nat, and released the first batch of 1000 of finished fizz after 8 months on the lees in May 2021, as a Brut Nature with zero dosage - no added sugar. The 2nd batch will be disgorged in Dec 2021 after 16 months on the lees.