Langham Estate Dorset 'Corallian' Classic Cuvee
Country: England Region: Dorset
Varietal: 88% Chardonnay 8% Pinot Noir 4% Pinot Meunier
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.
The grapes were pressed in a three-tonne pneumatic press, after which the juice was left to settle overnight. The settled juice was then transferred into a combination of stainless steel tanks and seasoned French oak barrels (minimum three years old, sourced from Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux regions). Alcoholic fermentation occurred with indigenous yeast, which was followed by complete malolactic conversion and extended ageing with regular lees stirring. The wines were blended and bottled without fining or filtration treatments. A reduced sugar addition during tirage resulted in lower bottle pressure of approximately 4.5 bar in order to emphasize complex blends from diverse base wines, which were enhanced rather than overwhelmed by autolytic character. The wines were then aged for 15-18 months on lees following secondary fermentation.
This edition of Corallian presents a structured and rich profile while maintaining vibrant acidity. The nose opens with bright lemon zest and jasmine flower, complemented by mineral notes of sea spray and charred citrus. On the palate, there are flavours of blood orange, ripe nectarine, bay leaf and lemon thyme, with subtle white pepper accents. The finish shows pronounced saline minerality and lifted acidity.
