2023 marks a huge year for Black Chalk, including the launch of new vintages and the production of brand new wines to the Black Chalk portfolio. We were thrilled to release our new 2020 Classic, 2020 Wild Rose and 2022 Dancer in Pink wines at a Press and Trade launch event at Oxeye Restaurant back in March.
The 2020 vintages are particularly special as they are the first wines to be made using only grapes from our own vineyard sites and made in our own winery, which was finished only 48 hours before the first 2020 grapes were picked!
These wines are the result of months of hard work and dedication from team Black Chalk and since their release, the wines have received a throng of fantastic scores and reviews from journalists across the board. We've picked a selection of the best for you below!
Our new wines
Black Chalk Classic 2020
39% Chardonnay 36% Pinot Meurnier 25% Pinot Noir Alc. 12.5%
Dosage 9.0g/l
"An unusually juicy, black-fruited sparkling wine. I've recently tasted a cassis from Burgundy, and this bears a remarkable resemblance – albeit dry and sparkling and white. But the fruit on this wine is quite remarkable. It's intensely vibrant, almost outrageously so, but far from simple. It's interleaved with layer upon layer of spice (caraway seed, star anise, liquorice root), a drizzle of sweetness that is on the cusp of maple syrup, and the pillowy softness of warm, new-baked brioche overwhelming the fine, tiny tingle of bubbles. 17."
Tamlyn Currin , janciscrobinson.com
"Toasty citrus, seashells and crushed minerals on the nose. With dosage at 9g/l, it's honeyed on the palate with brioche and ripe blood orange. The base wine hasn't been through malolactic fermentation thus retained bright acidity (8.6g/l). Honey-roasted hazelnuts on the finish. 2020 is the first vintage sourced entirely from the producer's own vineyards. 91"
Sylvia Wu, decanter.com
Black Chalk Wild Rose 2020
42% Pinot Meurnier 41% Pinot Noir 17% Chardonnay Alc. 12.5%
Dosage 10g/l
"Pale pink. Peaches, lime-and-cherry sherbet, white pepper and stone dust. Very delicate, fragrant, understated, but don't mistake that for neutrality... As the wine develops and warms in the glass, the fruit moves more and more into the blue spectrum, developing very pretty streaks of cassis and ripe mulberry liqueur, finishing chalky and long into blackcurrant-bud freshness. Leadley's Wild Rose seems to deepen and become more beautiful and intense as it gets older. One of the most exciting English sparkling rosés on the market. Is this because they are holding it back and giving it more bottle age? If so, it's working. 17.5."
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
"Citrus blossom, red apple and cranberry on the nose. Ripe red summer berries, lemon and grapefruit on the textured palate, thanks to 18 months of ageing on lees. The dosage is at 10g/l, offset by crisp acidity at 8g/l. Hints of salted blood orange and nuts on the finish. 92."
Sylvia Wu, decanter.com
Black Chalk Dancer in Pink 2022
63% Pinot Noir 32% Pinot Précoce 5% Pinot Gris
Alc. 12%
Sugar <1g/l
"Ultra-pale and although it is delicate in flavour as it is pale in colour, the texture is what defines this watercolour of a rosé. The texture is exactly that: the wet-to-chalky feel of a granulation watercolours feather brushed on thick, watermarked cotton paper; minute ridges...W
white-peach sweetness at the tip, grapefruit sour at the end, cobnuts in the middle. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this would hold its own in a blind tasting with Provence rosés. 16.5."
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
"With Pinot Précoce (32%) and Pinot Gris (5%) fermented together, the still rosé went through partial malolactic fermentation but saw no oak. Perfumed red cherry, peach and strawberry on the nose with a pinch of sweet spices. Saline on the palate with strawberry jam and tangerine zest, textured with polished acidity (5.7g/l) to refresh. A lovely summer drink. 90."
Sylvia Wu, decanter.com
How to buy
There's many way you can enjoy our new release wines, so come and taste them for yourselves! Our Tasting Room and Shop are open 7 days a week.
Book a Tour and Tasting to find out more about how we make our wines and to try our new releases.
All our new release wines are also available to purchase via our online store and our gift cards and vouchers make the perfect gift for wine lovers!