Simpsons Wine Estate Kent Gravel Castle Chardonnay 2023

Simpsons Wine Estate is situated in the Elham Valley, an unspoiled seam in the North Downs of Kent, where the contours of the land, the climate, and the soil are excellent for viticulture. The intensely lime-rich chalk soil forms part of the same chalk ridge that stretches from southern England through the Champagne region and on to Burgundy. The Roman Road and Railway Hill vineyards are planted with Burgundian clones 96 and 548 at a density of 4,200 vines per hectare on either Fercal or 41B rootstocks. The Guyot-trained vines flourish on sloping, south-facing vineyards, which ensure heat accumulation during the day and cold air drainage at night. The vineyard is less than eight miles from the coast, which provides a crucial maritime influence by insulating the fruit against intense temperature variations. Grass cover crops between the rows encourage biodiversity within the vineyard. Pruning and harvesting occur by hand, and are signed up for the Wine GB Sustainability Scheme.