Vineyard Description
"Few sites can rival Jenkyn Place. Nestled in the North Hampshire Downs near the quintessentially-English village of Bentley, our vineyards cover 12 acres (or around five hectares) of what were once hop fields.
The same greensand soils covering marlstone in which hops once thrived are now nurturing our Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the classic grape varieties used to make Champagne. The vineyards sit on sheltered, chalky, south-facing slopes at 100 metres above sea level, making them ideal for growing the high-quality grapes we need to produce top English sparkling wines.
Our first vines were planted in 2004, with further vines added in 2007 and 2010. Our vineyards are now at full capacity, with their rows filled with some 15,000 vines. Steve Williams and Stewart Sandy started out working on the estate but are now full time in the vineyard.
“We have a great history in England of producing fine sparkling wines on greensand,”explains winemaker Dermot Sugrue. “The greensand topsoil at Jenkyn Place is actually scattered with eroded fragments of chalk, creating an unusual – maybe unique – combination, which is beginning to be translated into the wines. If chalk is associated with more gently-fruited wines of notable finesse and greensand delivers a rounder fruit profile, then we are seeing an element of both in our 2013 vintage. Indeed, the older Jenkyn Place cuvees from 2006 to 2010 have, over the years, achieved quite brilliant levels of completeness once maturity was reached.”"
