Langham Estate Dorset Blanc de Blancs
Country: England Region: Dorset
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Colour: White Style: Sparkling
Vintage: NV
Producer: Langham Estate
Description:
Langham Wine Estate is one of the most exciting names in English wine, with Jancis Robinson describing their distinctive style as ‘à la Selosse’ and the IWSC naming them ‘Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year’ in 2020. Head winemaker Tommy Grimshaw is fast making a name for himself as one of England’s best young talents, crafting low-intervention, traditional method sparkling wines from a single site in rural Dorset.
Langham began as a small vineyard planted by John Langham at his Dorset family home. It remained a hobby until 2009 when his son Justin started making wine in earnest. After studying viticulture at Plumpton, Justin planted the first block of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier at nearby Crawthorne farm, where they are based today. Now joined by a small but dynamic team, Langham remains independent and family-run.
The 34-hectare vineyard is south-facing, with clay and flint soils over Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone derived from the Corallian strata, similar to Dorset’s Jurassic coastline. The team is meticulous in the vineyard, working tirelessly to reduce chemical intervention, trialling cover crops, and improving canopy management to increase airflow and naturally reduce disease pressure.
Langham’s grapes are hand-harvested and carefully sorted in the vineyard and winery. High-quality fruit facilitates Tommy’s low-intervention approach in the cellar. Base wines are made using indigenous yeasts, with extended ageing and regular bâtonnage in a mixture of stainless steel, concrete and used French barriques (ex-Burgundy, ex-Bordeaux and ex-Champagne). Oxidative techniques and expressive base wines are key to Langham’s style, which relies on blending to create complexity rather than extended lees-ageing in bottle. Minimal use of sulphur and low dosage ensures optimal site expression.
Langham’s two signature cuvées, ‘Corallian’ and ‘Culver’, have distinct identities. ‘Corallian’, named after the coral-rich limestone rock strata 300 metres below the surface of the estate, is their Chardonnay-led blend. It has a delicate nuttiness from partial barrel ageing and a reserve parcel kept under flor. ‘Culver’, named after Culver chalk, is Pinot Noir-dominant, offering a more opulent style with a savoury, spicy character. The Rosé is vinous and gastronomic with notes of pepper and blood orange. Akin to grower Champagne, Langham’s flagship Blanc de Blancs is complex and refined, with notes of lemon, stone fruits, salted almonds and a long, mineral finish.
We are delighted to add Langham to the portfolio. The wines complement our existing range, both in terms of region and style. Together, Rathfinny (East Sussex), Nyetimber (West Sussex), Candover Brook (Hampshire) and Langham (Dorset) highlight the quality, but also the diversity, fast emerging in English Sparkling Wine.
Langham’s vineyard is situated at Crawthorne Farm, just under 10 miles from the coast. The site is planted at 80 to 110 metres above sea level and is a sheltered south-facing slope with clay and flint soils over Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone. This ensures the vineyard is largely free-draining. These soils also retain heat well, helping moderate vineyard temperatures during England's often unpredictable growing seasons. Meticulous work in the vineyard helps to reduce the need for chemical intervention, as well as improving canopy management to increase airflow and naturally reduce disease pressure.
Winemaker Tommy employs a low-intervention approach in the cellar. The Chardonnay grapes were harvested by hand and carefully sorted in the vineyard and winery. The grapes were pressed in a pneumatic press and the juice was left to settle overnight, before being racked into a combination of stainless steel and old ex-Burgundy, ex-Bordeaux and ex-Champagne barriques. Primary fermentation occurred with indigenous yeasts, followed by full malolactic fermentation and roughly nine months ageing with regular bâtonnage for rich texture and additional complexity. The base wines (90% from the 2020 harvest) were blended without fining or filtration. Secondary fermentation occurred in bottle, followed by a minimum of three years ageing on lees in bottle. It received a low dosage of 1 g/l litre.
Langham’s flagship Blanc de Blancs is complex and refined, with notes of salted almond, poached pear, lemon peel, and peach. Taut acidity and mouth-filling texture lead to a long, mineral finish.
