Rathfinny, Classic Cuvée (Magnum)

Alcohol percentage: 12%

Grape variety:
57% Pinot Noir, 27% Chardonnay, 16% Pinot Meunier.

Producer:
Their UK agent, Liberty Wines, speaking about this “family-owned Sussex estate established in 2010 by Mark and Sarah Driver.
Rathfinny’s estate vineyard now extends to over 93 hectares in the South Downs, just three miles from the Channel. Lying on a gentle south-facing slope, the site is predominantly planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier and benefits from a semi-continental maritime climate and free-draining chalky soils, providing the ideal conditions to ripen grapes for sparkling wine.
Rathfinny uses only estate-grown fruit for their four traditional-method Vintage Sussex sparkling wines. The hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed grapes are vinified with as little intervention as possible, including 24-36 months’ ageing on lees and in bottle to develop rich autolytic notes, and a low dosage to preserve the purest expression of place and vintage.”

The Bottle Shop rating:
Released later than the regular bottle, this is now toasty, rich and refined. We tasted it first when visiting the estate in October 2022 and were bowled over by its complexity and elegance.