Digby Fine English Leander Pink Brut
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Wine &
Spirits - Decanter
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Winemaker Notes
Light pink with a steady stream of small bubbles. Ripe peach, strawberry and spicy aromas on the nose. The wine has solid breadth considering the amount of drive the palate shows. Ripe citrus and strawberry flavors linger on the peppery finish. Bright acidity gives considerable cut and energy.
Blend: 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier
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Wine & Spirits
Brut Trevor Clough and Jason Humphries founded Digby as a négociant brand, setting up purchasing agreements with vineyards they believe are producing England’s top fruit. This is the first release of Leander Pink, a collaboration with the Leander Club, the world’s oldest open rowing club; a portion of the sales goes to support the Leander Academy to train talented rowers. It’s a blend of pinot noir (50 percent), chardonnay and meunier from the North and South Downs of Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, where the soils are mostly chalk and clay. It’s a pretty pink wine with some delicacy to its red-currant flavors, lasting with notes of cardamom and star anise. Pour it with duck rillettes.
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Decanter
Ripe, rounded and weighty, with a textured palate which reveals some autolytic complexity beneath concentrated raspberry and strawberry.
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Wine Enthusiast
With its vibrant blush color, there’s an overarching yeastiness that’s present amid the raspberry and cream. The palate is tangy and bright, with bracing acidity and a lingering red cherry note on the finish. A tasty summer sipper with both class and crowd appeal.
And from that ancient terrain comes ‘DIGBY FINE ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE’ – a superlative, elegant, spirited expression of Englishness – with all its follies and foibles, modesty and refinement, its courage and its curiosity…
Inspired by the extraordinary life of the 17th Century philosopher, theologian, writer, pirate, inventor and ‘father of the modern wine bottle’, Sir Kenelm Digby, ‘DIGBY FINE ENGLISH’ is a wine of distinctively English character.
We create long-term relationships with the best vineyards across English wine country (typically Kent, Sussex and Hampshire) to ensure a supply of only the finest quality berries. This diversity allows us to achieve our hallmark richness of flavour and texture. Our vineyard partners are selected according to the meticulous standards they employ.Our focus is on Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, varieties proven to produce the most finesse. Time, care and patience goes into our rendition of the Traditional Method, which gently reveals the potential in each lot of pressed juice. We then pour ourselves into blending, where we create the liquid pleasures that are unmistakably Digby.
What are the different types of sparkling rosé wine?
Rosé sparkling wines like Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and others make a fun and festive alternative to regular bubbles—but don’t snub these as not as important as their clear counterparts. Rosé Champagnes (i.e., those coming from the Champagne region of France) are made in the same basic way as regular Champagne, from the same grapes and the same region. Most other regions where sparkling wine is produced, and where red grape varieties also grow, also make a rosé version.
How is sparkling rosé wine made?
There are two main methods to make rosé sparkling wine. Typically, either white wine is blended with red wine to make a rosé base wine, or only red grapes are used but spend a short period of time on their skins (maceration) to make rosé colored juice before pressing and fermentation. In either case the base wine goes through a second fermentation (the one that makes the bubbles) through any of the various sparkling wine making methods.
What gives rosé Champagne and sparkling wine their color and bubbles?
The bubbles in sparkling wine are formed when the base wine undergoes a secondary fermentation, which traps carbon dioxide inside the bottle or fermentation vessel. During this stage, the yeast cells can absorb some of the wine’s color but for the most part, the pink hue remains.
How do you serve rosé sparkling wine?
Treat rosé sparkling wine as you would treat any Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and other sparkling wine of comparable quality. For storing in any long-term sense, these should be kept at cellar temperature, about 55F. For serving, cool to about 40F to 50F. As for drinking, the best glasses have a stem and a flute or tulip shape to allow the bead (bubbles) and beautiful rosé hue to show.
How long do rosé Champagne and sparkling wine last?
Most rosé versions of Prosecco, Champagne, Cava or others around the “$20 and under” price point are intended for early consumption. Those made using the traditional method with extended cellar time before release (e.g., Champagne or Crémant) can typically improve with age. If you are unsure, definitely consult a wine professional for guidance.
The limestone soils of England’s southern end have proven ideal for the production of British sparkling wine. While it might seem too damp and cold for grape growing in England, recent warm summers and the onset of global warming signify great future growth for the British wine industry.