Chardonnay / Pinot Noir blend
Hugo 2021
Domaine Hugo

Grape Variety: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris

Producer: Domaine Hugo (Hugo Stewart)

Region: Downton, Wiltshire, England

Wild Scale: 2/5

Vegan friendly wine

Winemaking: A biodynamic field blend from a single vineyard was harvested by hand. Fermentation with indigenous yeast to create a base wine. This was aged in a combination of old oak and amphora vessels. 18% reserve wine was added and small dosage before being re-fermented in bottle (traditional method sparkling wine, Champagne method). Bottled with no fining, filtration or added sulphur. Disgorged in February 2024.

This Wine: The 2021 vintage was a cooler year for Hugo which resulted in the wine requiring a small dosage. Still in the rich and acid driven style of the domain but with some added roundness. Lovely complexity that will develop further with time in bottle.

Notes on the Winemaker: Hugo Stuart farmed pigs down at Botley's Farm near Downton in Wilshire until the early 2000s when he decided to embark on a new adventure in France. He teamed up with Paul Old (now the man behind Project 108) in the Languedoc to create Les Clos Perdus which worked well for him  for 12 years. After seeing the potential of English wines he decided to return back to his family's farm to plant vines and now makes a traditional method sparkling wine as well as a Col Fondo. He farms meticulously using biodynamic methods and the results speak for themselves.