Slideshow
Who are Black Chalk
It all started in 2015 with a leap of faith from our CEO, Jacob, and grapes purchased from local Hampshire vineyards. We launched our first wines in 2018, and in 2020 found our new home — a group of unloved farm buildings and 12ha of established vineyards in Hampshire's beautiful Test Valley, transformed into BC HQ.
At its heart, Black Chalk has always been a winemaker-led project driven by our small but hugely passionate team. Every single team member gets involved in the vineyards and the winery — because we're all Black Chalk winemakers at heart.
Winery + winemaking
In 2020, during a challenging year for many, we built our custom state-of-the-art Hampshire winery — completed (just about) 48 hours before we started harvesting our first grapes. Our approach to winemaking is one of experimentation and precision, crafted using sustainable, minimal-intervention practices and certified in both vineyard and winery by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain.
We only make vintage wine here at Black Chalk. This approach stops us relying on ‘recipe’ winemaking and ensures we make the best possible wines year on year — a true reflection of the story of that vintage.
Our vineyards
Across our 30 acres of estate vineyards we grow 34 different clone and rootstock combinations of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Précoce and Pinot Gris — all on shallow soils above solid chalk. It's this chalk that provides the purity key to our quality wines.
Tended by our vineyard team, Gwil and Leah, our 45,000 vines span four sites: Rivers, bordered by the River Test and River Anton; Levels, our largest, home to the vines behind Inversion and Paragon; Hide, tucked in a sun-baked valley; and The Circle, our smallest, behind the Tasting Room Courtyard.
