Chapel Down unveils their most significant new English Sparkling Wine release in a decade

Chapel Down today announces Kit’s Coty Blanc de Noirs 2021, the most significant new product release from the English winemaker in ten years.

Made from hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes grown on the chalk of the Kit's Coty Vineyard on the Kent Downs, it is Chapel Down’s first vintage of its style and joins their internationally-acclaimed luxury single-vineyard collection.

A wine of hidden layers, this rich and complex vintage English sparkling wine is wild fermented in oak and aged for four years in bottle before release. Aromas of strawberry and raspberry are complemented by subtle notes of vanilla and a rich, creamy finish. A distinctive expression of English winemaking, it balances intensity and elegance with remarkable depth and complexity.

The Pinot Noir grapes come from the Kit’s Coty vineyard on the Kent Downs, a landscape of rolling chalk slopes - the same terroir as the Champagne region in France - and a cool maritime climate ideally suited to traditional-method sparkling wine.

Chapel Down’s Head Winemaker, Josh Donaghay-Spire, says: “We released Kit’s Coty Blanc de Noirs 2021 to explore a different expression of the Kit’s Coty vineyard and showcase the exceptional potential of English Pinot Noir.”

“With every stage of its creation, from wild fermentation to extended bottle ageing, the wine has developed layers of flavour, texture and character. It is a wine that continues to evolve in the glass, revealing something new with each sip, and a wonderful expression of the depth and complexity that English Pinot Noir can achieve.”

The Kit’s Coty vineyard located on the Kent Downs is widely considered to be one of the finest vineyards in England and, since the launch of the single vineyard collection, its wines have consistently won top awards and international acclaim.

For this inaugural vintage, the grapes were hand-picked and whole-bunched pressed to extract only the finest fraction of juice - the cuvée - producing a light, delicate base on which to build complexity. The wine was then bottled in July 2022 and matured on lees for four years before disgorging with a dosage of 6.5g/l.

Chapel Down’s CEO, James Pennefather, says: “Kit’s Coty Blanc de Noirs 2021 is our most significant launch in the last 10 years and represents an exciting new chapter for the Kit’s Coty collection. The wine reflects both the quality of our vineyard sites and our ambition to continue pushing the boundaries of English sparkling wine. We are delighted to share this first release with customers.”

Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Blanc de Noirs 2021 is available from Monday 19th October at an RRP of £66.00 from chapeldown.com and selected trade partners. With only 1,100 bottles produced, availability is highly limited.

The Kit’s Coty Blanc de Noirs 2021 adds to Chapel Down’s single-vineyard collection, which also includes Kit’s Coty Chardonnay, Kit’s Coty Bacchus, Kit’s Coty Blanc de Blancs and the flagship Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée. It also follows the launch of a new luxury wine tourism experience celebrating the producer's acclaimed single-vineyard wines, the Kit's Coty Collection Experience, earlier this year.