Brut

England

Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

This has quickly become one of the most lauded sparkling wines from England since launching in the summer of 2016. This fizz is in its element at home on a Tuesday evening or a party celebrating one of life’s big moments. This was conceived as a ‘little brother’ for the flagship Reserve Vintage. Founded upon some of the house’s most expressive Pinot Noir base wines, the Digby Brut NV gains a vitality and mellow richness from the addition of more mature Chardonnay reserve wines. The blend is balanced with a generous dash of Pinot Meunier to bring a bright and cheerful tone. The majority of this wine is from the exceptional 2018 vintage, blended with 20% reserve wines from the Digby cellar. The current release was disgorged in August 2023.

An assemblage of chalky and sandstone sites make up this very ‘English’ bottling. Stainless steel is the primary fermentation and aging vessel here, promoting vibrancy, though 6% of the final blend spent nine months in neutral French barrique. Malolactic fermentation was fully carried out. The current vintage wine (2018) was then blended with 20% reserve wine that has been aging in tank. The wine was bottled with a coarse filtration and fining and then hit with the liqueur de tirage, spending a little over three years on lees aging and gaining complexity. The wines were disgorged to order and given an 8 gram dosage before aging for an additional six months on cork prior to release.

Stats

Grapes: 40% Pinot Noir - 35% Chardonnay - 25% Pinot Meunier
Vineyard: Four sites throughout the North & South Downs: Primarily Dorset & Kent with supporting sites in Sussex & Hampshire
Vine Age: Varied: Average 13-years-old
Soil Type: Varied: Predominantly chalk & clay with a smattering of greensand
Viticulture: Sustainable & conventional
Fermentation: Inoculated – 94% stainless-steel & 6% second use French barrique
Skin Contact: None
Aging: Primary: 9 months in stainless-steel (94%) & second passage French barrique (6%)Secondary: 38 months in bottle
Alcohol: 12%
Residual Sugar: 8 g/L
pH: 3.3
Total Acidity: 9.5 g/L
Total SO2: 82 ppm
Total Production: 2,500 cases
UPC: 5060463800048

Tasting Note

Pale gold. This wine is toasty, spicy and shows complex aromas of Rainier cherries and lemon verbena. The palate supports the complex aromas with the addition of a honeyed almond and not quite baked apple pie flavors. Very fine and elegant with an incredible amount of finesse and charm.

Press & Reviews

Decanter

97

2018 Decanter World Wine Awards, Platinum Medal

"Toasty, nutty and biscuity on the nose with some evolution evident. The palate is generous but maintains tension with bright acidity, precise green apple fruit and savoury marine notes. Long and intense on the finish."

Wine Enthusiast

94

*Editor's Choice*

"This Pinot Noir-led bubbly from West Sussex bursts from the glass with singular notes of lemon, thyme and fresh hazelnut, then back to more citrus—fresh this time—with an underbelly of cream and a hint of smoke. The palate is equally expressive, the bright, mouthwatering acidity slicing through the gentle toast with a tangy zing of lemon right to the finish. Bracingly refreshing and nothing but class, this is delicious now, chilled for a warm summer’s day."

- Christina Pickard

Jancis Robinson

17

"Light nose but lovely balance and creamy texture on the palate. A certain chalkiness on the finish. Very satisfying, even if one of the more mature-tasting."

- Jancis Robinson

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