In the Telegraph Online Victoria Moore wonders why Wimbledon – that most quintessentially English of sporting events – has not plumped for one of the “world class wines made from grapes grown on English soil”.
Notwithstanding Wimbledon’s reticence, Victoria plumps for five of the “finest English fizzes” including Coates & Seely’s Blanc de Blancs 2009 “La Perfide” as well as both of its two non-vintage wines, the Brut Reserve NV and the Rose NV.
After our recent success in the UK Wine Awards, where we won 4 out of the 5 Trophies available for Sparkling Wine (Best Wine in the UK, Best Sparkling Wine in the UK, Best Sparkling Rose in the UK, and Best Blanc de Blancs in the UK), we were delighted to have three of our wines in the top 10 English Sparkling Wines as marked by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and for our Rose 2009 Vintage “La Perfide” to be awarded the highest score of any English sparkling Wine in the same tasting.
This is the first time that the Wine Advocate has undertaken a comprehensive tasting of English sparkling wines, and it is accompanied by a well-researched and thought-provoking analysis of the UK sparkling wine industry more generally. It is remarkably consistent with the UK Wine Awards, not only in placing Coates & Seely first, but also in the tight grouping of the same leading UK producers, most of whom also won gold (and exceptionally silver) medals at the UK Wine Awards.
These are the top 10 ranked producers, marked as an average of each of their wines tasted (the number of wines tasted appearing in brackets after the score), and then the top 10 wines ranked individually.
Average Rankings
1. Coates & Seely – 90.8 Points (4)
2. Wiston – 89.8 Points (6)
3. Hattingley Valley – 89.7 Points (3)
4. Nyetimber – 89.6 Points (5)
5. Ridgeview – 89.5 Points (6)
6. Camel Valley – 89.3 Points (4)
7. Hambledon – 88.7 Points (3)
8. Gusbourne – 88.3 Points (3)
9. Allbury – 87.3 Points (3)
10. Chapel Down – 86.3 Points (3)
Individual Wine Rankings
1. Coates & Seely La Perfide Rose 2009 – 93 Points
=2. Wiston Cuvee Brut 2013 – 92 Points
=2. Hattingley Valley Rose 2014 – 92 Points
=2. Ridgeview Blanc de Noirs 2013 – 92 Points
=2. Wiston Blanc de Blancs NV – 92 Points
=3. Coates & Seely Rose NV – 91 Points
=3. Coates & Seely La Perfide Blanc de Blancs 2009 – 91 Points
=3. Nyetimber Rose NV – 91 Points
=3. Camel Valley Rose 2014 – 91 Points
=3. Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2013 – 91 Points
Country Life together with Hotel du Vin and Waitrose sponsored this year’s UK wine awards to ‘bring long-overdue recognition to what Susie Barrie calls ‘one of the most exciting wine regions in the world’.
The 12-strong judging team was co-chaired by Barrie and her fellow TV presenter, broadcaster and wine writer Oz Clarke, with the remaining experts being Masters of Wine David Bird, Richard Hemming, Alex Hunt and Phil Tuck, as well as Christine Parkinson from Hakkasan, Rebecca Hull MW from Waitrose and Hamish Anderson from Tate restaurants.
They were joined by writer and broadcaster Jane Parkinson, M&S wine buyer Elizabeth Kelly and Corney & Barrow buyer Rebecca Palmer.
Over 300 wines were entered for the competition with seven available trophies. The tropies were for:
Best Sparkling Blanc de Blancs
Best Sparkling Rose
Best Sparkling Classic Cuvee
Best single varietal white
Best Still Bacchus
Best Overall Still Wine
Best Overall Sparkling Wine
Best Overall Wine in the UK
Coates & Seely won 4 of the 8 available trophies, with Best Sparkling Blanc de Blancs, Best Sparkling Rose, Best Overall Sparkling Wine and Best Overall Wine in the UK.
Tasting Notes for the Rose read: ‘From its antique gold colour to its rich sour cherry and truffle flavours, this is a graceful, mature rosé to sip and savour.’
Tasting Notes for the Blanc de Blancs read: ‘Fabulously elegant and refined with the seductive toasted brioche and honey notes of age.’
Jamie Doward profiles Coates & Seely in the context of their recent award for the Best Wine in the UK and of the growing market for English sparkling wine.
On 1st June, 2017 it was announced that Coates & Seely’s La Perfide Blanc de Blancs 2009 had been nominated the Supreme Champion in the inaugural UK Wine Awards, beating almost 300 other English and Welsh wines for the title.
In addition, Coates & Seely won a further three Trophies (for Best English Sparkling Wine, Best English Blanc de Blancs and Best English Rose), making it four out of the five Trophies available for English Sparkling Wine
The Awards were designed by the English Wine industry, in association with Hotel du Vin, Country Life and Waitrose, to celebrate the impressive achievements of English and Welsh wines. The Awards received an incredible 293 entries, with 20 gold, 36 silver and 121 Bronze medals awarded to winning wines.
The judges comprised a panel of 12 experts led by TV presenters, broadcasters and writers Susie Barrie MW and Oz Clarke. Coates & Seely proved the stand-out producer, taking home four of the eight trophies overall.
When we began our English sparkling winemaking venture in 2009 we did so in the belief that it was possible, in England, with its chalk soils and cool climate, to make sparkling wines that in terms of quality would one day rival the best sparkling wines in the world. After ageing our Blanc de Blancs and Rose 2009 vintage wines for over five years on lees and a further two years on cork, the fruit of our labours are finally being realised and we are more encouraged than ever in our initial belief.
Coates & Seely were delighted to announce on 25th May, 2017, that from the start of this season their sparkling wines will be the exclusive English Sparkling wines at Goodwood Racecourse.
Coates & Seely have also been granted the naming rights of the Gordon Pavilion overlooking the Parade Ring which will now be known as the Coates & Seely Pavilion. The appointment of an official “English Sparkling Wine Partner” is a nod to the increasing consumer awareness and demand for English wines.
We are very excited to be a part of this quintessentially English event and to be working with the wonderful team at Goodwood. We believe the Coates & Seely brand, with its emphasis on quality and ‘Englishness’, will fit harmoniously into this enduringly charming and exciting part of the English cultural landscape.
Alex Eade, General Manager of Goodwood Racecourse, said :-
“We’ve set ourselves a high bar of providing the best racecourse experience in the world and having recently visited the Coates & Seely winery, just down the road from us in Hampshire, it is their relentless pursuit of quality that marks them out from others. Adding to that it is always wonderful when we can work with local producers and we are very pleased that Coates & Seely, has become the official English Sparkling Wine Partner of the Racecourse. During a time when English sparkling wines are experiencing a huge surge in popularity, we know that our guests will enjoy being able to drink such beautiful, award-winning wines as part of their day.”
In addition to Goodwood Racing, Coates & Seely wines will also be available across the Goodwood Estate and at Goodwood events. The partnership is for an initial period of three years.
