Benchmark quality which highlights the brilliance of the Henners vineyard and winemaking skills.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sourdough aromas combine with crunchy green apple fruit to provide a wonderfully welcoming nose. 

Palate

The palate is fine with a lively and persistent mousse. Green apple and pear fruit characters mix with a toasted brioche leesy flavour helping to provide a complex and moreish palate. Balanced acidity and a long finish make this a very classy sparkling wine.

Producer

When it comes to English wine there’s a lot to shout about, not least the stunning sparkling wines from Henners. Based just 4 miles from the sea in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, the 7 acre vineyard was created in 2007 by ex-Formula One engineer, Lawrence Warr. The winery was named in honour of Larry's French ancestor, Henners Dubois, who was forced to flee Paris for England during the French Revolution in the in the late 18th Century.

Boutinot was the sole distributor of Henners from this time and developed strong ties with the winery and its wines… so when the opportunity arose 10 years later to buy the estate, they jumped at the chance. Planted with traditional Champagne varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the vines thrive in an idyllic microclimate created by the vineyard’s proximity to the sea, low altitude (only 24 metres above sea level) and steep, sunny, south-facing slopes.

All Henners wines are hand-crafted from start to finish; with separate fermenting of varietals and their vine clones to allow a broader range of wines for final blending; extended lees ageing for added complexity; and holding back of all bottles for at least 3 years prior to release to add depth and richness to every wine. Hand-crafted with every attention to detail, our winemakers create award-winning wines of depth, complexity and elegance that are perfect for any occasion.

Production Method

Henners Brut is produced solely from grapes grown on our outstanding estate, in Herstmonceux East Sussex. We found the unique combination of warm well-drained soils, southerly aspect slope coupled with low altitude. The result is perhaps the finest vineyard microclimate in the country. We take a non-interventionist approach in the winery, made possible by the quality of the fruit. Vine clones and varieties are fermented separately to allow a broad palette of wines for final blending. Approximately 85% of the wine goes through malolactic fermentation. A proportion (10%) is fermented in aged oak barrels to add subtle character and layers to the wine. This wine spent approximately 36 months on its lees. Dosage of 7g/l.

A Note on Sustainability

Already a founder member of WineGB’s Sustainability Programme Henners Vineyard can now announce it is one of just 18 accredited members to have been certified as sustainable by Wine GB. This is an endorsement to Henners’ commitment to winemaking and winery management that have minimal environmental impact, as well as the ongoing promotion of biodiversity in the vineyards and protection of soils. This is no easy task to attain, requiring annual review for accreditation and ongoing improvement in methodology.

Awards - Non Vintage

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Our signature Brut harmonises an average of 32 skillfully selected reserve wines, for an elegant expression that sings with subtle intrigue.

Colour

Pale gold in colour

Nose

The Brut has a generous nose and a bright lemony character with notes of passion fruit and honey.

Palate

Minerality in the mouth indicates a good, balanced structure, with an intense backbone and a lengthy finish with a whisper of white pepper.

The Winery

Exton Park is a Hampshire sparkling wine producer with a 60-acre single vineyard planted on a south-facing slope in the South Downs National Park. Their first vines were planted in 2003, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier and their state-of-the-art winery was built in 2011. A luxurious, private event space overlooking the vineyard is also under construction and will be opening later this year. With a 60-acre single vineyard, a bespoke winery and a breath-taking promotional facility all on one estate, Exton Park will be able to offer guests an unrivalled English wine experience.

2021 marks the release of their Reserve Blend range. These are traditional method sparkling wines that challenge classic winemaking conventions. They do not rely on a base vintage like other English sparkling wine producers. Over 80% of each blend is composed from their extensive archive or reserve wines.

The number of reserves in each blend is reflected in the name of each wine. For example, Exton Park RB28 Blanc de Noirs is created from a blend of 28 wines. This unique approach has been pioneered by Head Winemaker Corinne Seeling to ensure consistency, quality and complexity with each bottling. 

Specifications