Oxney Classic Organic (75cl)

Hand-picked Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay is whole bunch pressed and matured on its lees for 18 months prior to release. To add further complexity, a component was fermented and aged in used French barrels. Light golden colour with a fine and delicate mousse. The nose is fresh, with subtle notes of warm honey, stone fruit and a lovely floral lift. On the palate there is lovely tension between creamy texture and vibrant acidity, all supported by a backbone of minerality with flavours of fresh bread and ripe orchard fruits. The finish is long, focused and precise.

Gold Medal – International Wine Challenge 2019, ‘Lovely toasty autolytic nose of russet apple and pear. Broad, nutty and bright with a long, creamy finish. Built to last.‘ Panel Chair: Joe Wadsack. Co-Chair: Tim Atkin MW (2016 vintage)

17/20 – JancisRobinson.com, ‘Certified organic. 20% Chardonnay, 51% Pinot Noir, 29% Pinot Meunier from the Dobson and Thomson blocks. Each parcel was whole-bunch pressed and fermented separately with all the wines also going through malolactic fermentation (MLF). A component was fermented and aged in used French oak barrels. The base wine was bottled for secondary fermentation in February 2016 and riddling and disgorging started August 2017 after a minimum of 18 months on lees. It then spent three months on cork prior to release. Dosage 5.6 g/l, TA 8.1 g/l. Winemaker Ben Smith. Baked apples. Orange blossom. Delicious! Brioche, just a little toasted, lime marmalade zinging through the middle. Plump for an English wine! Round bottom. Peachy but still with teeth-clenching acidity on the finish. Very good stuff! Drink 2018-2021‘ Tamlyn Currin, June 2018 (2015 vintage)

Recommended in GQ Magazine, ‘It’s official. English wine is having a moment and Oxney Organic is leading the way in the sparkling stakes, creating a light, sparkling wine combining hand-picked pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes. The result? A distinctive sparkling wine with fresh stone fruit on the nose and a subtle honeyed sweetness.’ Millicia West, April 2019

17/20 – JancisRobinson.com, ‘Absolutely lovely cream and apple scent with a smoky tone too. Spicy and yeast on the palate – delightful and typically English.‘ Richard Hemming MW, April 2019 (2015 vintage)

Top 50 Most Influential UK Wines – Mathew Jukes, ‘Oxney ticks every single box and a few more that I am probably unaware of too.  The entire portfolio of new releases this summer is amazing and these wines are made with unmistakable care and attention.  They are, prepare yourself for a much-maligned expression, definitive crowd-pleasers, in flavour terms, but there is serious detail here too.

The use of the word Classic on the label hints at the blend – 45% Pinot noir, 47% Pinot meunier and 8% Chardonnay.  This is a silky-smooth wine with obvious Bland de Noir tendencies.  The nose alone is worth the entry price, but the creaminess on the palate would not only entrance a connoisseur, but it would also convert a wine novice to its cause in just one sip.

This warm welcome is seldom experienced in young English sparkling wine.  Only the forensically detailed will spot the ‘left hand’ wound muselet.  I have never seen this in my three decades in the wine business and it clearly points to a hand-made product stunningly designed and appealing to all, this wine could be so bland and centrist, but instead it is utterly thrilling’ (2016 vintage)