Simpsons 'Rabbit Hole' Pinot Noir 2023

The estate is situated in the Elham Valley; an unspoilt seam in the North Downs of Kent where the contours of the land, climate and soil are excellent for viticulture. The intensely lime-rich chalk soil forms part of the same chalk ridge that stretches from southern England to Burgundy. The Guyot trained vines are low-yielding (35 hl/ha) Burgundian Pinot Noir clone 115 and 777, which are grown on either Fercal or 41B rootstocks. Planted at a density of 4,200 vines per hectare they are grown on south facing slopes, ensuring heat accumulation in the day and cold air drainage at night. The vineyard is less than eight miles from the coast, providing a crucial maritime influence insulating the fruit against intense temperature variations. Grass cover crops between the rows encourage biodiversity within the vineyard. Pruning and harvesting takes place by hand and they are signed up to the WineGB’s Sustainability Scheme.

The grapes were carefully hand-sorted and destemmed directly into fermenters via gravity. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts, with pumping over once a day for two weeks. A proportion of the blend was vinified using the traditional technique of ‘pigeage’ or punching down of the cap. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was drained off its skins into two-year old French oak barrels, where it underwent malolactic conversion. After four months’ ageing in barrels, the wine was bottled in the following spring.