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Digby Fine English

2013

Blanc de Blancs

Chardonnay   |   Sussex - England
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

This is Digby’s first ever Blanc de Blancs, made with the top 5% of grapes from Digby’s 2013 harvest. It was released after ten years to celebrate a decade of Digby. The grapes come from two vineyards in Hampshire and Dorset, representing Digby’s longest-serving vineyard portfolio partners. Since their flagship wine (Reserve Brut) centers on Chardonnay grown on greensand, this pure expression of the grape is a distillation of Digby’s raison d’être. It exemplifies the benefit of patience in allowing the razor-like sharpness of English wines to evolve into warmth, depth and satisfaction. After a warm summer and cool autumn, the 2013 harvest was delayed by rain which, happily, meant even deeper concentration in the grapes without over-ripeness. The result for Digby was dazzling acidity matched by intensity of flavor.

Whole cluster fermentation occurred in 73% stainless-steel and 27% neutral oak barrels. The wines were kept in these vessels for several months, going through partial malolactic, before assemblage and bottling. The wines were kept on the lees for a minimum of eight years before disgorging (this batch in March 2025), and then they got a 6.5 g/L dosage and a hit of sulfur before corking.

 

Stats

  • Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
  • Vineyard: 59% Hampshire (Digby's original vineyard) - 41% Dorset Vineyard
  • Vine Age: 15-18-years-old
  • Soil Type: Greensand & clay
  • Viticulture: Conventional
  • Fermentation: Inoculated - 73% stainless-steel, 27% neutral oak barrels (100% whole bunch)
  • Skin Contact: None
  • Aging: 8 years minimum on lees
  • Alcohol: 12%
  • pH: 2.99
  • Total Acidity: 9.2 g/L
  • Total SO2: 75 ppm
  • Total Production: 65 cases
  • UPC: None

Tasting Notes

With a focus on purity, this blend contains just four parcels, now singing together as a harmonious whole a decade later. Combining linearity from the largest parcel, phenolic intrigue from a single oak barrel’s worth of second-pressing juice, and a generous texture from their clay site, this is a wine to savor. Its crystalline structure brings delicacy to the richer flavors, which unfurl very gradually on the palate. Citrus notes lead into an intricate maze of pastry, warm spice and minerality.

Producer


Digby Fine English

Region


Sussex

Country


England

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