Subtle fruits of cream, pastry and apple sauce with a fine gentle mousse; exquisite.

Fox and Fox is situated near the village of Mayfield in East Sussex and lies toward the southern edge of the High Weald. This area, famed for its natural beauty, has a range of soils which is dominated by the Tonbridge and Ashdown Sands. Fox and Fox have two vineyards, Hobden and Lakestreet, which have different soils and aspects. The grapes for the Pinot Gris based ‘Inspiration’ Brut 2014 came from the slightly warmer Lakestreet Vineyard.

The owners of Fox and Fox, Jonica and Gerard Fox, grow Pinot Gris because it produces a glorious juice with elevated natural sugars. It is spiced and aromatic; our cool climate allowing us to retain those subtle hints of ginger and the floral aromatic notes within the wine when we make it. Pinot Gris constitutes about 6% of our plantings. The couple were so convinced of the quality of the fruit from the 2013 vintage that they decided to created a unique cuvée, the first sparkling Pinot Gris in the UK, and pretty rare in the world. This was repeated with the 2014 vintage which has gone on to received great critical acclaim.

In 2014 the spring was one of the wettest on record. It does not bother the vine too much if there is plenty of rain whilst it is dormant in winter and early spring. In fact, there is the benefit of a subsoil holding water for the rest of the year. The bud-burst came around mid-April and, importantly, there were no frosts so the vines got away to a late but healthy start. June, July, August and September were all warm and dry allowing a steady ripening of the fruit with a harvest planned for mid-October. A cool and wet period at the end of September forced an earlier than planned picking due to the risk of dilution and falling acidity. The resulting crop was according to the producer “one of the best crops in many years and the fruit flavours were luscious”

This wine really delivers plenty of character and style. It proves that, in the right hands, Pinot Gris can produce great wine. It delivers an intensity of aromatics with cream, fresh pastry. Roasted nuts and cooked apple, with some fresh pear too. This is definitely worth several sniffs as it reveals more and more complexity as it opens up. The palate mirrors the depth of flavour and adds yellow plum, white peach, butterscotch and more. Whilst rich, the wine has a cut of acidity to bring balance and freshness to the umami richness. There is a fine gentle mousse throughout and a long finish. This is high quality wine indeed, one of the best.

Food Pairing Ideas: Wine this flavourful can be sipped on its own but will partner a rich dish such as chicken with morels or truffle.

ABV: 11.5%

Sussex Wine