The producer owns a 60-acre vineyard in the South Downs National Park in Hampshire, where it grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
The wines are produced in the traditional method, but wine director Corinne Seely does not rely on a base vintage. Instead she draws upon an extensive library of reserves she has built up since 2011 to compose each year’s blend.
Exton Park believes this is the only way to guarantee “consistency of taste, year-after-year, in the vagaries of the UK climate, often adding only up to 20% of the latest harvest to each bottle”.
“Our library of reserve wines is what makes Exton Park so special,” said Seely, who previously worked at Château Lynch and Domaine de Chevalier. “When it comes to blending, it’s like a puzzle in my mind and the reserves are my puzzle pieces. I feel privileged to be able to make such a diverse mix of wines from the same vines by blending the reserves in different ways.”
Kit Ellen, formerly sales and marketing manager at Champagne supplier Free Run Wines, is the managing director at Exton Park, which was first planted in 2003.
“Exton Park has come of age,” he said. “After 10 years of experimenting in the vineyard and winery, we now have a range of wines that set us apart from other English producers. Our philosophy has always been focused on quality and innovation.
“Corinne’s new style of blending is a great example of this ethos in action. Our Reserve Blend wines are a step away from the traditional terms of Vintage and Non-Vintage, in a concerted effort to capture the nuances of our different approach to curating and blending our wines.”
The new range is called Reserve Blend and it comprises RB32 Brut, RB23 Rosé and RB28 Blanc de Noirs. The names indicate the average number of individual reserve wines that have gone into the blend. The Brut and the rosé retail for £39 and the Blanc de Noirs is priced at £43. Some additional limited release wines will be launched over the next few months and years.
Iconic London store Selfridges has listed the wines, and Bancroft Wines will distribute them in the domestic market
Ellen added: “The English wine industry has developed at pace, with new trends emerging around local, British produce and the demand for sustainable, authentic brands.
“With a certified sustainable 60-acre vineyard, a bespoke winery and, coming later this year, a new events facility overlooking the vines, we’re able to cater to these trends and offer our supporters the ultimate English wine experience.”
