England: Bride Valley Estate - Pinot Noir 2022, Jurassic Coast, Dorset

Read Alex's notes on Bridge Valley

Grape variety: 100% Pinot Noir. 12.5% alcohol. 

"This is a sprightly, elegant red with a spring in its step, a joie de vivre and a youthful charm" - Masters of Wine Susie Barrie & Peter Richards, The Wine Blast Podcast.

Best served at cellar temperature/lightly chilled (12-14°C) to highlight its vibrancy - pop in the fridge for around 10 minutes if (like me) you don't have a cellar. 

For lovers of lighter, cool-climate, lean, tangy reds. It reminds me of a high-altitude Alpine - say Alto-Adige/Trentino - style of red wine. Or how Bouzy rouge used to taste before the warming of the climate gathered so much pace (a Pinot Noir red made in the Champagne region).

It is brilliant with food that packs a lot of flavour and that requires a red with good acidity (fatty/game meats, Asian duck dishes for instance). 

Maybe avoid if a cool-climate style of red isn't your bag!

The wines of Bride Valley were the brainchild of wine legend Steven Spurrier of 'The Judgement of Paris' fame and this Pinot Noir, as well as of course the estate's sparkling, is proof of his long-held conviction that England is capable of producing world-class wines.

The Kimmeridgian soils found at Bride Valley are prized for producing mineral, tense, long-lived wines - characteristics that are very evident in this wine.

I first tasted this in 2024 and it was still shy and tightly-wound, but I could sense the potential. It has now opened-up on both nose and palate, and it's drinking well now, although do give it a little time in the glass to broaden.

Its mineral tension suggests there’s still more to come as it ages further, and the palate will take on more weight. 

It's certainly not a big wine, as might be expected; it is a lean, linear and taut style of Pinot Noir which some love, and some don't. It is poised and tangy yet delicate, old-school, cool-climate, raspberry and cherry-scented Pinot Noir.

Its fruit is as fresh as a daisy; for some, under-ripe and not concentrated enough, for others, wonderfully taut and tense, while it comes into its own with Asian styles of food and a fatty cut of lamb. It's a ballerina, or a high-wire artist of a wine - it walks a tightrope. 

A little time in both French and American oak has imparted subtle warming notes and very gentle touches of vanilla, while it retains refreshing acidity on the finish.

It's the refreshing fruit that takes centre stage here, as it should - the oak is barely noticeable. 

Food Pairing:

A natural match with a roast: a brilliant sunday lunch red with turkey or goose but equally as good with lamb or duck; it cuts through fatty meats very well. Also salmon, or other robust seafood. And a plate of charcuterie, definitely.

It can also handle a good deal of Asian spice. A great match with a decent Chinese takeaway! Try with honey & soy salmon with noodles & pak choi, or hoisin duck.

What the critics say:

Masters of Wine Susie Barrie & Peter Richards, The Wine Blast Podcast:

"This is a sprightly, elegant red with a spring in its step, a joie de vivre and a youthful charm, all of which captures something of its proprietor, Steven Spurrier."

"It’s not perfect, but then I can almost hear Steven agreeing. What he would – elegantly, charmingly, enthusiastically – point out is that it’s exactly what it’s meant to be. A fresh, upbeat English Pinot Noir, light but with plenty of sappy, herbal, earthy intrigue. It’s vivacious and tangy, whippet-lean and eager for a plate of cold cuts. It’s not fancy, or overbearing (though it does have a whiff of toast from the touch of American oak). Susie loved it when she judged it at the recent WineGB Awards. But what it is, is a perfectly enjoyable and definitely moreish red – a fine wine ideally suited to celebrating a fine man, and a fine legacy." 

The winemaker’s notes:

"Opening with a fresh fruity, cherry led nose, this is a wine that draws you in from the start and is an elegant example of our unique English terroir. This medium-bodied wine has a soft, sumptuous mouthfeel with long-lasting flavours."