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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 £150. 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 £150. Tel: 02922 337454
2020 Classic Cuvée Brut Gift Box, Rathfinny Wine Estate

2020 Classic Cuvée Brut Gift Box, Rathfinny Wine Estate

Champagne, United Kingdom

Presented in its gift box, Rathfinny’s vintage Classic Cuvée makes a thoughtful Christmas present for anyone who appreciates beautifully made sparkling wine. Grown on the chalk slopes of the Sussex South Downs, it brings English provenance and a proper sense of occasion to the festivities. A lovely gift for a generous host, a wine-loving friend or someone deserving a little celebration, with every reason to open it together.

Bright, poised and invitingly creamy, the 2020 Classic Cuvée captures the pleasure of ripe English fruit with the savoury complexity of patient ageing. Red apple and delicate summer fruits mingle with clementine, citrus peel and freshly baked brioche. Subtle biscuit notes bring warmth, while a gentle suggestion of ginger adds interest beneath the fruit. Its pale golden colour and fine, persistent bubbles make an elegant first impression.

The palate combines a rounded, creamy texture with lively acidity, allowing the orchard fruit to feel generous while keeping the finish beautifully dry. Citrus and pastry flavours unfold through the middle, followed by orange peel, gentle spice and a refreshing saline edge. There is enough substance to carry it comfortably through a meal, alongside the freshness that makes a second glass so appealing. Already harmonious and rewarding, it is a bottle to enjoy over the festive season or keep for further savoury development.

For when: A thoughtful present becomes the first toast of a memorable Christmas.

Pairs with: Smoked salmon blinis, crab linguine, oysters with lemon, scallops with beurre blanc, Parmesan gougères, or roast turkey with bread sauce.

Rathfinny’s Classic Cuvée is the estate’s signature blend, made entirely from grapes grown on its own Sussex vineyard. Pinot Noir leads, supported by Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, bringing together fruit depth, freshness and texture. Its identity is rooted in a single coastal estate and a single harvest, giving this celebratory bottle a clear connection to where and when it was grown.

Whats in the bottle
55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier

£29.95 - £29.95
£29.95
£29.95 - £29.95
£29.95
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Mark and Sarah Driver founded Rathfinny Wine Estate in 2010, planting their first vines in April 2012. Situated near Alfriston in East Sussex, the family-owned estate was established with a clear ambition: to produce distinguished vintage sparkling wines entirely from its own vineyard. Classic Cuvée sits alongside Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and Rosé in a range dedicated to expressing this corner of the South Downs.

The vineyard occupies south-facing slopes just three miles from the English Channel. Silty clay loam over free-draining chalk provides the foundation, while the coastal setting moderates temperatures and a natural ridge offers protection from prevailing winds. These conditions support the gradual ripening and freshness essential to the estate’s sparkling wines.

Rathfinny combines traditional-method winemaking with a commitment to responsible business, achieving B Corp certification in 2023. Hand harvesting, careful pressing, extended maturation and restrained dosage define its approach. The emphasis is on balanced wines with clear fruit character, fine texture and the versatility to be enjoyed at the table.

The 2020 blend comprises 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier, all estate-grown and hand-harvested. Whole-bunch pressing was followed by fermentation in stainless-steel tanks at 16°C using selected yeasts. Full malolactic fermentation helped soften the acidity.

Made by the traditional method, the wine underwent its second fermentation in bottle, with extended lees ageing developing its creamy texture and pastry notes. Rathfinny records 54 months in bottle for the June 2026 release. A low dosage of 3.5g/L preserves its dry, precise finish.

A warm spring prompted early growth in 2020, followed by exceptionally dry conditions in May. Warm weather in August and September supported ripening, while low disease pressure delivered clean fruit with small bunches and concentrated flavours. The estate compared the resulting ripeness favourably with its successful 2018 harvest.

Alcohol: 12.5%. Total acidity: 6.7g/L. pH: 3.09. Dosage: 3.5g/L.

Wine-Searcher Retailer Awards 2026/27 Gold, Overall List in Cardiff