From a sceptic to a heretic
2023 Blowhorn Rosé and 2023 Deluxe Seven Chardonnay from The Heretics
This is so, so good, I’d drink this over expensive Provence Rosé any day.
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
2023 Blowhorn Pale Rosé, The Heretics
£174 per 6 bottle case inclusive of duty and VAT
2023 Deluxe Seven, Chardonnay, The Heretics
£210 per 6 bottle case inclusive of duty and VAT
If you had spoken to me a few years back and told me that by 2025, I would be impressed by a small number of English still wines, I would have been sceptical to say the least. And when I say impressed, I don’t mean impressed by progression to date or the ongoing potential but actually impressed by that wine in that bottle - the end product delivering impressive quality. Full-stop. You could say I have been turned from a sceptic into a Heretic!
Enter stage left, 2023 Blowhorn Rosé from The Heretics. I opened this, not really knowing what to expect, in a line-up of English still wines the other week. It was the first wine tasted and the conversation just stopped. I never thought the UK could deliver a rosé quite like this – why would I? I had never tasted one with complexity anything like it. I knew the background to the wine and The Heretics project with their approach to doing things differently (hence the name), but I had no idea what to expect. I then went on to taste the 2023 Deluxe Seven Chardonnay and frankly, it warranted a conversation with Gareth as the two are very fine examples whatever way you look at it. The Blowhorn is truly compelling.
Gareth Maxwell founded The Heretics in 2022 along with Jimmy Hunter. Gareth has considerable experience in the wine industry having worked with Hattingley Valley previously, and he also operates a sales and marketing consultancy that focuses on English wine. Anyone who sees the packaging for The Heretics will quickly note that wine and design are both passions for Jimmy, who oversees the creative side, and Gareth. I must confess when I first saw the yellow and black packaging, and just how slick it was, a little thought occurred to me that perhaps this was going to be style over substance; but, in fact, the wines deliver handsomely on both counts. And that doesn’t happen every day…
Each of Gareth’s wines is effectively a one-off limited edition, with the labels showcasing the work of emerging young photographers and artists. The wines centre on superbly sourced fruit, intelligent winemaking, and Gareth’s vision of the style of wine he wishes to make in each particular instance. Being an Essex boy who never ventured far from his hometown, I know plenty about the Crouch Valley, just south of Maldon. I am also keenly aware of the excitement it is causing for the quality of the grapes being produced. I can vouch for the fact that it is one of the driest and warmest parts of the UK. It has clay-based soils, rich in smectite (a layered, mineral-rich, silicate that is capable of swelling – to save you googling it). Such soils are excellent for retaining moisture and providing nutrients for the vine. The proximity to the River Crouch assists in mitigating any frost risk, so the region has a lot going for it. As Gareth confirmed when we spoke, the fruit coming from this area is utterly different to that which we find in Sussex for example, as it is much riper, bolder in style and more suited to still wine production as opposed to providing the nervy base for a sparkling wine. And the Crouch Valley isn’t just producing fine Chardonnay, Pinot Noir is also showing incredibly well from the same region…..For still wine, this is the region which is impressing me most. Out of a line-up of some 16 wines I tasted recently, seven were made from Crouch Valley fruit and they were amongst the finest in the line-up.
Anyway, back to the wines in question. I have set out some detail on how the wines were made as Gareth has distinct ideas of the styles he wishes to make, dependent on the fruit sourced. He doesn’t own a vineyard but rather buys the fruit under contract. Indeed, this is a key point to understanding English wine as fruit from one corner of the country may be blended with that from another or indeed made by a winery the other side of the country.
2023 Blowhorn Pale Rosé, The Heretics
£174 per 6 bottle case inclusive of duty and VAT
This is a Pinot Noir Pale Rosé, made with fruit sourced from The Missing Gate vineyard in the Crouch Valley. The 2023 vintage was interesting for the fact that despite a cool, wet summer in the main, a heat spike in September boosted ripeness and led to a good harvest, and crucially to a lower acidity than is typical. As the winemaking note states, this was whole bunch harvested, gently destemmed with no crushing and held on its skins for four hours before a gentle pressing. It was settled and racked into third, fourth and fifth fill Burgundy barrels for fermentation. Periodic lees-stirring was employed to build texture and the wine spent five months in barrel. I think it is important to give you this information, as these represent a chain of sensible decisions, all designed to build complexity and texture. It was a very brave decision to produce a barrel-fermented rosé and sensible to employ solely old oak. The end product is outstanding. It is bottled in a black glass bottle to protect against light.
My note:
Pale in hue, more onion skin than pink. The aromas are subtle, but become complex with air; you pick out hints of fragrant soft red fruit, zesty blood orange and grapefruit, all quite mellow, with a hint of leesiness in the background. Precise, but not overly taut, the palate is a joy, bringing together a complex melange of red fruits, with a discreet creamy breadth, yet a bright, life-giving spine of acidity keeps it lively, appetising and inviting. That zesty blood orange character shows on a fine finish, that brings together hints of juicy fruits with a more mineral aspect. I still can’t get over quite how good this is. Utterly impeccable – pure, focused, complex and long. Very highly recommended. You just have to try this – it is as simple as that. (SL) Drink: now-2026
2023 Deluxe Seven, Chardonnay, The Heretics
£210 per 6 bottle case inclusive of duty and VAT
Another product of the 2023 vintage and the Crouch Valley’s Missing Gate Vineyard. This was whole-bunch pressed with a part fermented in old oak and part in tank. The tank proportion was aged on its lees, whereas the part in barrel was lees-stirred and aged for 10 months. The two parts were then assembled and bottled – they were aged for eight months further in bottle prior to release. Just over half of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. Again, this shows the intention to direct the style towards a taut, barely-oaked style akin to Chablis.
My note:
This wine was left opened in our wine fridge and just got better and better over more than a week! Pale yellow in the glass, the aromas reveal orchard fruit, juicy Cox’s apple, pear too with just a hint of baking spice. The palate is taut, medium-bodied in style with fine purity. The juicy apply fruit picks up a certain lemony note, perhaps even a little fennel as it leads to a racy, clean-cut finish, with a lively, mineral-infused acidity leading to a long finish. Showing impressive persistence, it will be interesting to see how this goes over the next couple of years as it demonstrates the capacity to age. (SL) Drink: now to 2028?
Ringing endorsements have come from, amongst others, Tom Gilbey, Matthew Jukes, Sylvia Wu on decanter.com, Tamlyn Currin on jancisrobinson.com and Anne Krebiehl MW on vinous.com, the unanimity of praise quite astonishing for a first pass English wines.
Available for delivery from early June (2025).
Please let us know of your interest.
Simon
simon.larkin@atlasfinewines.com
