Picture of 7 assorted Furleigh Estate bottles on a wooden table with a dinosaur figurine beside them.

Wine Technical Sheets

Technical Sheets for the full Furleigh Estate range. Learn about the vintage conditions and winemaking processes that went into your favourite bottle of wine.

Sparkling Wines

Download Tech Sheet for From the Oenotheque 09

english sparkling | bottle fermented | limited release

“From the Oenothèque 2009 is a special edition of our top cuvée, released in celebration of our first ever harvest.  We held back a few precious bottles, to allow them much longer ageing on their lees and then gave an extended cellaring, quietly maturing in our oenothèque (wine cellar).  We are delighted with result, after a very long wait.  It celebrates the real, ageing potential for top quality English sparkling.”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Quality Sparkling Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK(Protected Designated Origin) sparkling wine produced by the traditional, bottle fermented method, only from English grapes

Blend: 40% Chardonnay / 30% Pinot Noir / 30% Pinot Meunier
Fermentation: 100% malolactic conversion
Ageing: 5 years 10 months on lees, 24 months in bottle
Bottled: June 2010
Released: Christmas 2019

Harvest 2009: The perfect season!  A warm spring brought an early bud burst and an exceptionally mild, early summer, meant flowering conditions produced good fruit set.  The large crop benefited from some rain in August to swell the berries.  These berries then basked in glorious autumn sun to ripen well and so produce trophy winning wines.

Production: 500 bottles – limited release
Closure: double disk natural cork – Amorin
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp:  8°C
Ideal drinking:  within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12% alcohol 1g/l dosage 8 g/l acidity

opulent | acacia & almond blossom | creamy mousse

“A wonderfully opulent sparkling wine showing great complexity and elegance. It has a glamorous medium straw-gold hue with delicate streams of tiny bubbles. Enticing scents of acacia and almond blossom mingle with hints of summer hay alongside baked apple strudel and stollen with marzipan. On the palate a seamless integration of bubbles creates a delightful creamy mousse with delicious flavours of stewed medlar and quince plus subtle hints of grapefruit and candied peel enveloped by warm notes of honey and beeswax. The palate is intricately woven with a complex nutty character of grilled hazelnut, sweet almond, nougat and praline plus flavours of buttered brioche and toasted tea-cakes, whilst being perfectly balanced with an exceptional long finish. This is quintessential English sparkling wine at its best – the epitome of poise and elegance.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Download Tech Sheet for From the Oenotheque 10

english sparkling | bottle fermented | limited release

“From the Oenothèque 2010 is our new top cuvée. In selected vintages, we hold back a small quantity, to allow the wine a much longer ageing on their lees and an extended cellaring in bottle. All in all, an impressive nearly 8 years, quietly maturing in our oenothèque (wine cellar). We are pretty pleased with the result, which shows off the real, ageing potential for top quality English sparkling.”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Quality Sparkling Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) sparkling wine produced by the traditional, bottle fermented method, only from English grapes

Blend: 60% Chardonnay / 35% Pinot Noir / 5% Pinot Meunier
Ageing: 5 years 10 months on lees, 24 months in bottle
Bottled: June 2015
Production: 1500 bottles – limited release
Closure: double disk natural cork – Amorin
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12 % alcohol 11.6 g/l residual sugar 6.7 g/l (TA) acidity 3.44 pH
Fermentation: 100% malolactic conversion

creamy mousse| butterscotch & nougats notes | long finish

“An elegant sparkling wine with exceptional balance and poise. It has an attractive pale golden hue with a continuous stream of very fine, minute bubbles. Alluring floral aromas of hawthorne and almond blossom mingle with butterscotch and nougat, alongside sweet apple tarte tatin, panettone and a hint of marzipan. Flavours of preserved lemons, yellow peach and nectarine with medlar and russet apple marry toasted brioche and notes of hazelnut on the palate. The mousse has a wonderfully soft, creamy texture with beautifully balanced acidity and seamless integration of autolytic character plus a touch of saline minerality on the extremely long finish. This delightful sparkling wine shows abundant elegance and finesse.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Jancis Robinson MW – jancisrobinson.com 17 pts (June 2019) drink 2018 – 2023
“Five ‘long’ years on lees and then two years in the bottle. Clean and pungent on the nose. Neat and well balanced with absolutely no excess of acidity. Creamy with a very fine bead. Lively, punchy aperitif-style fizz that would compare well with many a Blanc de Blancs Champagne. Good lingering finish.”

Download Tech Sheet for Classic Cuvée 2014

english sparkling | bottle fermented | champagne varieties

“Classic Cuvée is our signature, vintage, sparkling wine. A taste of the sunny, West Dorset countryside, not far from the Jurassic Coast. Made from our own grapes, at our own winery, near Bridport. We believe it requires long, patient cellaring to create an elegant, fine mousse, smooth texture and rich flavours. Made from Champagne grapes, but definitely from Dorset!”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Quality Sparkling Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) sparkling wine produced by the traditional, bottle fermented method, only from English grapes

Blend: 40% Chardonnay / 30% Pinot Noir / 30% Pinot Meunier + 10% reserve wine
Ageing: 3 years minimum before release, including at least 24 months on lees
Bottled: 16 & 17 June 2015
Production: 20,000 bottles
Closure: double disk natural cork – Amorin
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12% alcohol, 8g/l dosage, 9g/l (TA) acidity, 3.1 pH,
Fermentation: 100% malolactic conversion

elegance | citrus & floral notes | terroir

“A classic dry sparkling wine with a refined elegance. The colour is pale lemon straw with a steady stream of minute bubbles. It has appealing floral aromas of apple blossom interlaced with ripe melon and Constance pear plus a delicate thread of minerality. On the palate the fine mousse marries citrus flavours of grapefruit and Sicilian lemon with a crystalline structure and zesty acidity. The autolytic character is subtle. It has excellent poise and a persistent finish.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Richard Hemming MW – jancisrobinson.com April 2018 – 17 points
“Creamy and textural with lovely salty bread character and fresh lemon fruit on the palate. Savoury and appetising yet with enough dosage to give weight and balance to the structure.”

Jane MacQuitty – The Times July 2018
“A delicious, richly fruited, black grape dominated bubbly, with a dollop of chardonnay.”

Download Tech Sheet for Blanc de Blancs 2014

english sparkling | bottle fermented | 100% chardonnay

“We dedicate some of our best parcels of Chardonnay to our tiny production of Blanc de Blancs. It is hard to resist creating a sparkling to make the most of the classic combination of 100% Chardonnay, Dorset sunshine and free draining soils to create this refreshing, clean cut, mineral and elegant style.”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Quality Sparkling Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) sparkling wine produced by the traditional, bottle fermented method, only from English grapes

Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Ageing: 3 years minimum before release, including at least 24 months on lees
Bottled: 16th & 17th June 2015
Production: 2,000 bottles
Closure: double disk natural cork – Amorin
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12% alcohol 2g/l dosage 8 g/l (TA) acidity 3.0 pH
Fermentation: 100% malolactic conversion

mineral | floral notes | refreshing

“An elegant white sparkling wine with crystalline features. Beautiful pale lemon with lots of tiny bubbles. It has attractive floral aromas of acacia, elderflower and citrus blossom along with Sicilian lemons and chalky minerality. The palate is crisp, dry and exceedingly refreshing with flavours of freshly squeezed lemons, grapefruit, lemongrass and salty minerality on the finish. It shows very pure varietal expression with exquisitely refined structure and  definite poise.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Download Tech Sheet for Blanc de Noirs 2014

english sparkling | bottle fermented | champagne varieties

“Our tiny production of Blanc de Noirs, made in the best vintages, is a sparkling white wine, made only from the red Champagne grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This creates for us a style with the lovely combination of fruity richness and vivacity, enhanced by the lengthy ageing on the lees.”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Quality Sparkling Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) sparkling wine produced by the traditional, bottle fermented method, only from English grapes

Blend: 88% Pinot Noir / 12% Pinot Meunier
Ageing: 3 years minimum before release, including at least 24 months on lees
Bottled: 16th June 2016
Production: 2,000 bottles
Closure: double disk natural cork – Amorin
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12% alcohol 10g/l dosage 12.3 residual sugar, 7.8 g/l (TA) acidity 3.04 pH,
Fermentation: 100% malolactic conversion

vivacity | medlar & peach | brioche

“A fabulous sparkling Blanc de Noirs with great depth of flavour. The colour is lemon gold with a fine stream of tiny bubbles. Floral aromas of white iris & peony marry stone fruit and cherry on the nose with the mildest touch of vanilla and hazelnut. The palate is fruit-driven with yellow peach, ripe quince and notes of medlar apple. It has exceptional balance and a persistent mousse with lingering citrus flavours alongside a lovely nutty, pistachio and almond finish.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Download Tech Sheet for Sparkling Rosé NV

english sparkling | bottle fermented | champagne varieties

“We love our Rosé, a blend of the 3 Champagne varieties, but with an added, English twist. At the final stage, we add in a tiny amount of red wine made from a blend of Pinot and our Rondo grapes, a deep coloured, fruity variety. This gives the blend its salmon-pink tinge and distinctive hint of strawberry notes.”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Quality Sparkling Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) sparkling wine produced by the traditional, bottle fermented method, only from English grapes

Blend: 46% Pinot Noir / 40% Chardonnay / 14% Pinot Meunier
Ageing: 3 years minimum before release, including at least 24 months on lees
Closure: double disk natural cork – Amorin
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12% alcohol 10g/l dosage 8.1g/l (TA) acidity 3.8 pH
Fermentation: 100% malolactic conversion

creamy | strawberry notes | refreshing

“An exquisitely elegant sparkling rose wine showing great finesse. It has a delicate salmon-pink hue with tiny bubbles. Enticing aromas of wild strawberries and white peach mingle with a hint of rosehip. There are subtle autolytic notes of vanilla-scented brioche and scones with cream. The mousse is soft and creamy with beautifully integrated bubbles. On the palate, fresh summer berries including cranberry and redcurrant meet stone fruits, nectarine and wild apricot. It has layers of complexity with citrus acidity and delicate minerality. The mouthfeel is excellent, and it shows exceptional balance, lingering well after the last drop.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

IWSC Bronze July 2019
“An exquisitely elegant sparkling rose wine with delicate salmon-pink hue with tiny bubbles and aromas of wild strawberries and white peach mingle with a hint of rosehip. The mousse is soft and creamy with beautifully integrated bubbles. The mouthfeel is excellent, and it shows exceptional balance, lingering well after the last drop. It’s a soft, open, fresh palate, with citrus and apricot notes, showing Chardonnay characters.”

Download Tech Sheet for Prestige Cuvée 2014

selected grapes | limited release | long lees ageing

“This Prestige Cuvée is a very special, limited release from one of the best vintages in the last decade. We knew the year had great potential as the fruit came into the winery, so we took the very best grapes, from our very best plots and made a very special wine. We have given it time on lees to mature to perfection. A low dosage keeps our characteristic English crisp fruitiness.”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Quality Sparkling Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) sparkling wine produced by the traditional, bottle fermented method, only from English grapes

Blend: 40% Chardonnay / 30% Pinot Noir / 30% Pinot Meunier + 10% reserve wine
Ageing: 5 years minimum before release, including at least 48 months on lees
Bottled: 16 & 17 June 2015
Production: 5,000 bottles
Closure: double disk natural cork – Amorin
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12% alcohol 3g/l dosage 8g/l (TA) acidity 3.1 pH
Fermentation: 100% malolactic conversion

elegance | floral & nutty notes | ageing potential

“A delightfully elegant dry English sparkling wine with good potential for ageing. It has a pale golden straw colour with lots of minute bubbles. Delicate floral aromas of hawthorne and acacia blossom mingle with nutty notes of crushed hazelnuts and blanched almonds. There are also wonderful aromas of freshly baked brioche and Italian pandoro on the nose alongside melon and ripe pear. It has delicious ripe orchard and stone fruit on the palate with aromatic coxes apple, white peach, yellow nectarine and greengage, plus a touch of zesty grapefruit, waxed lemon and Cape gooseberry. Additional subtle nutty flavours blend with a hint of oat-biscuit on the palate. It is dry with a nice creamy mousse and slightly saline structure underpinned by a lovely acid balance giving freshness and great length which is ideal for ageing, so it has plenty of life ahead of it.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Still Wines

Download Tech Sheet for Bacchus Dry 2018

classic english | grape maceration | zing

“The Bacchus grape is increasingly being used to make classic English wine. After destemming we macerate our Bacchus grapes for a couple of hours in the press. This brings out their amazing English hedgerow flavours – elderflower, cut grass, crushed nettles. The resulting wine has crisp acidity, delicate flavours and a zing that makes you want to dance”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) wine produced only from grapes grown in England

Blend: 100% Bacchus
Closure: screwcap – Sparflex
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12½% alcohol 5.2g/l residual sugar 7.3g/l (TA) acidity 2.92 pH

aromatic | tropical fruit | vanilla

“A wonderfully refreshing, crisp dry white wine with zesty fruit appeal. Bright pale lemon-green with a few legs. Brilliantly aromatic with floral scents of elderflower and honeysuckle combined with ripe orchard fruits including pear and white peach. It has a hint of herbaceous sweet pea-shoots, nettles and summer meadow on the nose. The palate is delightfully zesty and fresh with citrus flavours of lemon peel and grapefruit alongside gooseberry and passionfruit. There are herbal notes of lemongrass and parsley, followed by a touch of salty minerality on the finish. It is beautifully balanced with uplifting lime acidity and nice length.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Download Tech Sheet for Bacchus Fumé

classic english | grape maceration | subtle oak

“The Bacchus grape is increasingly being used to make classic English wine. After destemming we macerate our Bacchus grapes for a couple of hours in the press. This brings out their amazing English hedgerow flavours – elderflower, cut grass, crushed nettles. The resulting wine has crisp acidity, delicate flavours and a zing that makes you want to dance”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) wine produced only from grapes grown in England

Blend: 90% Bacchus /10% Chardonnay
American oak barriques: partial 6 months
Closure: screwcap – Sparflex
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12% alcohol 5.8g/l residual sugar 7.6g/l (TA) acidity 3.52 pH

aromatic | tropical fruit | vanilla

“A brilliantly food-friendly, aromatic dry white wine with hints of tropical fruit. Star-bright medium lemon with good legs. Ripe stone fruits of peach and nectarine mingle with passion-flower and limeblossom alongside kiwifruit and exotic mandarin. Tropical fruits explode on the palate including pineapple, mango and guava with a touch of lime zest and gooseberry fool. Very subtle oak integration gives a hint of vanilla and coconut on the finish. It has a slightly richer, creamy mouthfeel and wellbalanced acidity with lingering flavours that pack quite a fruity punch.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Download Tech Sheet for West Dorset Chardonnay 2018

crisp, cool climate | flavourful | touch of vanilla

“A crisp, cool climate chardonnay made just from the flavourful juice just under the skin of the grape. Our West Dorset Chardonnay has just a touch of vanilla flavour from its time in American oak barriques”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK
(Protected Designated Origin) wine produced only from grapes grown in England

Blend: 100% Chardonnay
American oak barriques: 30% for 4 months
Closure: screwcap – Sparflex
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp: 8°C
Ideal drinking: within 2 years
Technical Analyis: 12% alcohol 7.8g/l residual sugar 7.2g/l (TA) acidity 3.22 pH

vibrant | apples & pears | balanced

“A refreshingly food-friendly dry white wine. Star-bright with a deep lemon core and well-defined legs. It has pronounced aromas of ripe coxes apples and juicy pear william plus notes of medlar. The palate is crisp and vibrant with a lovely silky mouthfeel. Flavours include bramley apple, quince and candied peel with uplifting acidity and a zesty finish. It boasts good depth of flavour with refined structure and excellent balance.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Download Tech Sheet for White Pinot Noir

rare | champagne-inspired | candied orange peel

“We discovered white pinot noir while visiting the Champagne region.  Rarely available we were blown away by its sophisticated blend of aromas and flavours, including candied orange peel.  We just had to try it at Furleigh and we are so pleased we did.”
Rebecca Hansford & Ian Edwards (winemaker)

English Wine (PDO)

Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England, UK

(Protected Designated Origin) wine produced only from grapes grown in England

100% Pinot Noir
Closure: screwcap – Sparflex
Suitability: vegetarian & vegan friendly
Serving temp:  8°C
Ideal drinking:  within 2 years
Technical Analysis: 12% alcohol 8.2g/l residual sugar 7.7g/l (TA) acidity 3.44 pH 100% malolactic conversion

aromatic | clementine | rarity & versatility

“An unusual dry white wine with an air of sophistication.  Star-bright with partridge eye reflections and copper flashes.   Highly aromatic with notes of clementine, tangerine and blood orange combined with orchard fruits of red apples and ripe quince.  The palate is distinctly fruity with delicate stone fruits including greengage, mirabelle and quetsch plums, as well as white and red currants.  Bursting with flavour, it combines rarity with food friendly versatility.”
Rebecca Mitchell AIWS

Wines & Vines at Furleigh Estate

Furleigh Estate is family owned and run and we work hard on every aspect, with the help of our small team, to achieve our carefully managed, annual production of top quality, premium sparking and still wines.

Everything we produce is from our own vineyards and made in our own, purpose-built winery.  We hope the wines we create are an expression of their careful, patient handling and our Thorncombe Sands terroir, encapsulating the beautiful, sunny, West Dorset countryside, just 5 miles from The Jurassic Coast, World Heritage Site.

Location & Vineyards

  • Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, SW England
    Total 16 ha – 8ha at Furleigh, around the winery and 8ha Hingsden Lane – 1 mile away
  • Vines: planted 2005 & 2006
  • Soils: Thorncombe Sand – green sand, sedimentary sandstone, dating from the Early Jurassic Period, giving free draining, sandy, loamy soils.
  • Climate: Climate mild, early spring, late autumn, long, sunny growing season, suited to slow ripening, low, lying sites protected from any rare, severe frosts.
  • Cultivation: VSP (vertical shoot position) trellising to help protect against wildlife and give easier access to the vines.  Full natural ground cover to prevent soil erosion.  Tunnel sprayer for careful, regular protection against downy mildew.  Winter pruning for bud restriction, leaf plucking after flowering.
  • Yields: average 4 tonnes c. 22hl/ha (vintage variation)
  • Harvesting:  by hand in October – 20kg crates

Winemaking & Cellar Management

We have our own purpose-built winery here at Furleigh as well as a temperature-controlled bottle store. Ian defines his winemaking as “a light-handed approach”, both in the vineyard and in the winery, supported with “the right, high-tech equipment”.  His ethos revolves around the careful handling of the grapes at every stage, particularly using effective temperature control, to avoid inclusion of any bitter components and to manage the inherent, naturally high acidity.

The aim is to minimise intervention to keep the natural balance of the wine, to encourage development of finesse in the mousse and maintain expression of terroir.

  • Suitability: All our wines are vegetarian & vegan friendly.
  • Pre-fermentation: Willmes pneumatic (balloon) press, inverted, prior to pressing to allow an initial run-off of any debris or oxidised elements.

Sparkling Wines

  • 1st pressing: only the “cuvée” is used for the sparkling wines via slow, gentle, whole bunch pressing to extract the middle berry juice, then cold settling for 48 hours 11°deg, rack off clean juice.
  • Fermentation: using cultured yeasts, all in stainless steel, followed by addition of malolactic culture and temperature-controlled warming, up to 3 months to ensure full malolactic conversion.
  • Pre-bottling: 6 months on average, in tank on lees, followed by cold stabilisation to precipitate tartrate crystals and filtration using Kieselgur, which also removes fatty acids, creating a smoother texture in the wine.
  • Tirage: the wines are tasted and then blended before adding the liqueur de tirage [yeast and sugar] to start their 2nd fermentation in bottle. A small proportion of wine in tank is kept back as reserves.
  • Maturation: 70 months cellaring, on lees, in bottle for autolysis [yeast cells, break-down and contribute their tertiary flavours to the wine] . 
  • Remuage: using Giropallets over 1 week [slow mechanical, gradual rotation and inversion of bottles to upright “sur pointe” to ensure all the lees are in the neck] before disgorgement [bottle neck is frozen to extract frozen plug containing lees].
  • The wine is then topped up with the Dosage: [blend of wine and sugar] a careful evaluation is required for each vintage to achieve the correct dosage.

Still Wines

  • Pressing: only the “thaille” is used for the still wines via extended, gentle, whole bunch pressing to extract the flavourful juice just under the skin, then cold settling for 48 hours at 11°, before racking off clean juice.
  • Fermentation: Temperature-controlled fermentation (max 11°) using cultured yeasts, all in stainless steel tanks, followed by addition of malolactic culture and temperature-controlled warming, up to 3 months to ensure full malolactic conversion.
  • Pre-bottling: Some of our wines spend time on oak, followed by cold stabilisation to precipitate tartrate crystals and filtration using Kieselgur, which also removes fatty acids, creating a smoother texture in the wine.
A selection of Furleigh Estate wines ready for tasting

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