Vintage
2021 74%, Reserve Wines 26%
Blend
75% Pinot Noir, 14% Chardonnay, 11% Pinot Meunier.
About Langham Wine Estate
Langham Wine Estate specialises in making low-intervention, traditional method sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes grown on 30 hectares north-east of Dorchester in rural Dorset. The vineyard is planted on a south-southwest slope at 80-110m above sea level on flinty clay topsoil over deep, porous Cretaceous chalk, with the first block planted in 2009. Viticulture is science-based and data-led, seeking to minimise chemical input wherever possible.
Vinification
The fruit is pressed oxidatively in a three tonne pneumatic press then the juice left to settle overnight – the first of many characteristic steps in our low-intervention method. The juice is then racked into a combination of stainless steel and old, predominately French oak (minimum three years old, ex Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux). Alcoholic fermentation occurs spontaneously, followed by full malolactic fermentation and prolonged ageing with regular batonage. The wines are blended and bottled without fining or filtration. Less sugar is added at tirage, leading to a lower bottle pressure of around 4.5 bar. Our approach prioritises blending from an array of complex base wines which are complemented, not dominated by autolysis from 15-18 months of lees ageing in the bottle after second fermentation.
Technical Details
Alcohol: 12%
pH: 3.1
Total Acidity: 8.7 g/l
Dosage: 3 g/l