{"product_id":"gusbourne-reserve-brut-2021","title":"Gusbourne Reserve Brut 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEnglish sparkling wine is usually explained by chalk, the same Cretaceous seam that runs beneath Champagne and surfaces again in Hampshire and Sussex. Gusbourne's home vineyards are not on it. The estate at Appledore in Kent sits on Wealden Clay and Tunbridge Wells Sand, nutrient-rich and heat-retentive, over subsoils that include sand and seashells, and that geology builds rounder, fuller base wines. Appledore is the first high ground rising off Romney Marsh, roughly six miles from the English Channel, with 12 individual vineyards across 60 hectares at elevations from 2 meters at Lower Mill Hill to 40 meters at Boot Hill. A second site near Goodwood in West Sussex, acquired in 2013, adds 30 hectares of chalk, clay loam, and flint, and that fruit supplies the tension.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeventy-one percent Chardonnay, 18 percent Pinot Noir, 11 percent Pinot Meunier, all estate-grown and hand-picked. The 2021 season was cold and late: budburst on April 20 after record cold nights, flowering starting June 24, ten to fifteen days behind schedule, and picking from October 6 into the first days of November. September and early October sunshine saved it. Whole-bunch pressed, settled 24 hours, fermented ten days below 20 degrees Celsius in stainless steel with a small fraction in old oak barrels, then through malolactic in December. Bottled July 2022 and aged a minimum of 26 months on lees. It carries 12 percent alcohol, 8 grams per liter residual sugar, 9.3 grams total acidity, pH 3.08. Pale gold with a fine bead, green apple, lemon, nectarine, white peach, orange peel, then pastry, apple pie, and hazelnut.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAndrew Weeber, a South African-born orthopedic surgeon, bought the Appledore property and planted its first 20 hectares of vines in 2004, on ground that had been growing turnips. The name reaches back to 1410 and John de Goosebourne, whose family crest carried three geese; they are still on the label. The first wines, a 2006 Brut Reserve and Blanc de Blancs, were released in 2010. Gusbourne is a vintage-only house. Every bottling comes from a single growing season, with nothing blended across years to iron out the weather, which is a real commitment in a climate like England's. Mary Bridges has been head winemaker since 2023 and Jon Pollard runs the vineyards. The estate is a founder member of Sustainable Wines of Great Britain and farms its vineyards to that scheme's standards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcidity at 9.3 grams per liter wants salt and fat. Start with raw oysters and nothing but lemon. Move to seared scallops in brown butter, where the lees-derived hazelnut meets the nuttiness in the pan. A proper fish pie, cod and leek under mashed potato, is the pairing Gusbourne themselves reach for, and the wine's citrus cuts straight through the cream. An onion and goat cheese tart works on the same logic. This is a bottle worth opening before dinner rather than saving for a toast, and it will keep improving for years if you would rather wait.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maverick Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51247923888351,"sku":null,"price":85.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8220172.jpg?v=1787526006","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/gusbourne-reserve-brut-2021","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}