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2020 BLACK CHALK Paragon, Lea & Sandeman

BLACK CHALK

2020 Paragon

IN STOCK
Grapes Chardonnay
Colour White
Origin United Kingdom, English Sparkling Wine
ABV 12.5%

Full bottle 1,627 g. 100% Chardonnay from clones 95, 121, 76, 131, hand-picked from the Upper Level vineyard of their Hampshire estate. Each clone was picked and vinified separately, 54% in stainless steel and 46% in a new 2,300-litre oak foudre. No fining, no enzymes, no malo. 26 months sur lattes. Dosage 5.9 g/l, TA 8.8 g/l, pH 2.9, total added sulphites 64 mg/l. The soft drift of smokiness on the nose did not prepare me for the cascade of fruit in this Blanc de Blancs – the very polar opposite of the usual English BdB severity. The overture is a crescendo of citrus, clementine sweetness turning to bergamot fragrance to pomelo piquancy and then a curlicue of blood orange. And then, the mid palate rounds into richness, becoming almost tropical, even hinting at mango, and developing a subtle, seductive praline undertone. The filigree lacework of bubbles is like snowflakes under a microscope. Through it all, the acidity glitters like a thousand tiny sweet-lime stars, finding every molecule of space, a galaxy of electric energy. And then, after leaving a long, long trail, it signs off with a sigh of smoke. It's stunning. Quite simply stunning. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 17.5 Tamlyn Currin - www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2024)

*Case price discount: Mix any 12 bottles of wine (or 9 litre equivalent) or 6 bottles of Champagne, Spirits, Sweet Wine or Fortified (4.5 litres) to get the discounted 'case price' for each bottle.

Creaminess, dried corn husk, and pale polenta on the nose have only a slight overtone of lemon and immediately proclaim the pure Chardonnay character of this wine. The body is exquisitely light and bright, full of lemon verve, but with a veil-like, silk-chiffon feel, tingling but smooth and slender at the same time. Beautifully salty depth lends a cooling, silvery lemon sheen and adds real dimension, despite the lightness and slenderness. The superfine mousse only enhances the finesse and poise of this most elegant, precise, long, and saline wine. Rating: 94 Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous.com (Aug 2024)


Alcohol 12.5% Total Acidity 8.8g/l Dosage 5.9g/l

Vineyard Upper levels. Clones: 95, 121, 76, 131

100% Chardonnay

Vintage Report Spring began early, with March and April not only seeing above-average temperatures but also unusually high sunshine hours. The vines rocketed out of dormancy and saw bud burst more than two weeks earlier than usual. The favourable climate continued, and we had our earliest ever picking, starting on September 29th, with the harvest complete by October 10th – this is approximately 5 days earlier than the harvest usually begins! The favourable growing season meant an early harvest and optimal ripeness in the grapes.

Tasting Notes Introducing Paragon, a masterpiece of winemaking artistry we’ve been waiting almost four years to release! This exclusive Blanc de Blancs style, with only 3,535 bottles produced, embodies elegance and finesse. We’ve selected only the best Chardonnay clones (95, 121, 76, 131 for the geeks amongst us) from our Upper Levels vineyard and chosen particular yeasts like VL1 and CX9, known for enhancing elegance and complexity. Paragon is comprised of 54% stainless steel-aged wine and 46% aged in Oak cask, giving the wine a sumptuous mouthfeel. With no malolactic fermentation and no fining, our minimal intervention approach allows the wine’s true essence to shine through, with the Chardonnay’s purity being the star of the show. Deeply complex, round and fresh, Paragon lingers on the palate.
Winemaker's notes (Sept 2024)

A wine all about the purity of Chardonnay. The initial toasty smokiness of the oak wafts out of the glass, but this quickly passes to reveal a serious wine. Pure Chardonnay fruit, cooked lemon rind, Earl Grey tea and a real discernible salty minerality come through immediately. The palate is incredible fine and precise, silky with some gentle nuttiness coming through. It's really quite a spellbinding wine, but a baby for now, still quite tightly wound and full of energy. This will be absolutely awesome with a little more time in the bottle. L&S (Sept 2024)

Black Chalk

Black Chalk is the passion project of Jacob Leadley. Started in 2015, who started making wines in this beautiful corner of the Test Valley in Hampshire when he was still making wine at Hattingley. The first wines were released in 2018, and in 2020 his assistant at Hattingley, Zoe Driver, joined him and they've never looked back

Here, they are making some of the most exciting wines in England, in a meticulous and charmingly nerdy fashion. Across the 4 vineyards they own, they are working with 34 clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Précoce, and Pinot Gris, each with their own profile. However, most important of all is the solid chalk found beneath the shallow soils here. Many fishermen will recognise the Test Valley, famed for its chalk streams, but this great hunk of chalk beneath the vineyards is key to the purity and precision found in these wines.

We are incredibly excited to be working with these elegant, unique wines, made by a small but incredibly passionate team.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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