Hampshire winery Hattingley Valley has announced the release of two new premium still wines to its ‘Still By Hattingley’ collection.
The Still Pinot Noir 2020 and the Reserve Still Chardonnay 2020, created by head winemaker Emma Rice, will each retail at £25 per bottle.
The Still Pinot Noir is the result of handpicked and destemmed pinot noir grapes which have
been cold-soaked before being pressed off their skins and transferred into old French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. The vintage was aged for 12-months in the oak barrels, before being filtered and bottled.
The Reserve Still Chardonnay 2020 has been made from Hattingley’s first reserve vintage still Chardonnay where the grapes were handpicked and gently whole-bunch pressed. The juice was then fermented in temperature-controlled tanks to retain freshness and fruit purity, with the final blend aged for six months in old oak barrels before being filtered and bottled.
The two still wines are part of a small batch production. There are 2282 bottles of the Still Pinot Noir 2020, and 1121 bottles of the Reserve Still Chardonnay, but both are available to buy directly from the Hattingley Valley website.
After many warm years, the wetter and cooler 2021 vintage has proved challenging. However there is still a growing thirst for English wines and yet, this harvest and the next are set to be more of an indication for how difficult ripening conditions, reduced yields, and a shortage of workers will affect the industry.
