Hattingley Valley Pinot Noir 2020, Hampshire

The first ever red wine made by Hattingley valley. It is a delicate English red wine bursting with aromas and flavours of cherry, raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate, accented by hints of toast and dark chocolate. The fine tannins and balanced acidity provide an elegant structure and silky finish.

Best enjoyed with venison stew or vegetable ragù, the Pinot Noir is the perfect choice to put your feet up for a quiet night in or a dinner party favourite when entertaining friends.

In 2020, spring frosts in late April and early May slightly reduced the crop for some of the Hattingley vineyard sites. There was an almost perfect growing season with ideal weather conditions throughout unseasonably warm weather from late spring and into summer, a few days of rain in August and a mini heatwave in September, led to the earliest harvest with little disease pressure and great, clean fruit, bursting with flavours and superb levels of ripeness. The drier than average season meant that bunch weight were smaller, so the overall yield was lower than 2018 and 2019 – a blessing after two such bumper years.

Winemaker Emma Rice said of the wine: "Making a red wine that can compete with more traditional Pinot Noir regions is every winemaker’s Holy Grail. This, our first attempt, was only possible thanks to the wonderful 2020 vintage. We don’t know when we will be able to do this again so get it while you can."