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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2019 'White Cliffs' Blanc de Blancs, Simpsons Wine Estate Wine Republic

2019 'White Cliffs' Blanc de Blancs, Simpsons Wine Estate

Kent, United Kingdom and England

Bright and finely poised, White Cliffs captures the freshness of English Chardonnay with a delicious layer of patisserie richness. Lemon zest, crunchy green apple and lime unfold alongside toasted brioche, with hints of lemon meringue bringing a softer, more generous dimension. There is a chalky precision beneath the fruit, giving the aromas definition and keeping the wine beautifully focused as it opens in the glass.

The palate combines a delicate, creamy mousse with brisk acidity and a concentrated core of citrus and orchard fruit. Three years on the lees have brought texture and savoury depth, rounding the edges without diminishing its energy. A lingering thread of lemon and mineral freshness carries the finish, leaving the mouth refreshed and ready for another sip. Elegant enough for an opening toast and substantial enough to accompany dinner, this is English sparkling wine with both immediate charm and the structure to develop further in bottle.

For when: The oysters are on ice and the afternoon is yours.

Pairs with: Fresh oysters with a squeeze of lemon, dressed crab on sourdough, seared scallops with cauliflower purée, smoked salmon blinis, roast turbot with beurre blanc or Parmesan gougères.

White Cliffs is made entirely from estate-grown Chardonnay in Kent’s North Downs. The name evokes the chalk landscape that defines this corner of England, while the wine offers a focused interpretation of the grape through the traditional sparkling method. The 2019 is the estate’s third Blanc de Blancs release, combining the freshness of its English vineyard setting with the texture and complexity developed through extended ageing on the lees.

Whats in the bottle
Chardonnay 100%

Notable Awards
93 points, International Wine Challenge

Save 13% Save 13%
£41.00
£41.00 - £41.00
£41.00
£35.75
£35.75 - £35.75
£35.75
Availability:
In stock

Charles and Ruth Simpson established Simpsons Wine Estate in 2012, bringing home the experience they had gained at Domaine Sainte Rose in the Languedoc, where they had been making wine since 2002. Their first English vines were planted in 2014, with the inaugural harvest following in 2016. Based near Barham in Kent’s Elham Valley, the estate produces both still and sparkling wines exclusively from its own vineyards.

The Simpsons selected their sites for the combination of chalk soils, sheltered slopes and proximity to the coast. Their 30 hectares lie within the North Downs, where careful attention to aspect and exposure helps the grapes ripen while retaining the freshness that gives the wines their definition. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier form the foundation of the estate’s range.

Vineyard work and winemaking are kept in-house, with the winery situated close to the vines to minimise transport and handling at harvest. The philosophy combines precise modern equipment with gentle treatment of the fruit, preserving clarity of flavour while allowing time on the lees to develop texture and complexity in the sparkling wines.

The 2019 White Cliffs is made from 100% estate-grown Chardonnay. Grapes were hand-picked over a two-week period, with two different sparkling-wine Chardonnay clones harvested and vinified separately.

The fruit was whole-bunch pressed, and fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks at controlled temperatures of 14 to 16°C, using both wild and selected yeasts. Malolactic conversion followed, and the base wines spent three months ageing on their light lees in tank before blending.

Following blending and filtration, the wine was bottled for its second fermentation using the traditional method. It then matured for 36 months on the yeast lees, developing its fine mousse, gently toasted character and rounded texture before disgorgement.

Alcohol: 11.5%. Residual sugar: 2.3 g/L. Recommended drinking window: 2025 to 2032.