Ancre Hill Blanc de Blancs
£37.15
Ripe grapefruit and lemon zest meet tart apple, toasted brioche and a gently nutty autolytic note. More than four years on lees and zero dosage give the finish impressive length, clarity and drive.
2004
Monmouth
Ancre Hill Estates grew from Richard and Joy Morris’s determination to make Welsh wine with a clear sense of place. Since 2004, the family estate has developed a distinctive voice: patient, curious and prepared to let each vintage be itself. Richard Morris and Jean du Plessis work with spontaneous fermentations, long élevage and minimal intervention rather than polishing away the character of the fruit. Traditional-method sparkling wines sit alongside lightly fizzy pét-nats and idiosyncratic still wines, making Ancre Hill one of the most individual names in British wine.
The estate’s nine hectares sit on south-facing slopes around Monmouth, close to the English border and sheltered by the Cambrian Mountains and Bannau Brycheiniog. Ancient mudstone and sandstone, seams of limestone and sandier ground at Newton Court give the wines freshness, texture and a strong local accent. Ancre Hill achieved full Demeter biodynamic accreditation in 2014. Estate-made plant tisanes, composting, cultivation and co-planting support soil life and biodiversity, without insecticides, pesticides or herbicides. The same thinking shapes the straw-bale winery, with its living roof and ecological wastewater pools.
WINEMAKER
Richard Morris helped shape Ancre Hill’s uncompromising biodynamic direction and remains closely involved from vineyard to cellar. Jean du Plessis shares responsibility for the wines, including the estate’s pét-nats. Their approach connects careful farming with spontaneous indigenous fermentations, concrete eggs, oak and stainless steel, extended lees ageing and little intervention. The aim is not a house style imposed on every vintage, but wines that keep the energy and detail of their Welsh origin.
The Collection
£37.15
Ripe grapefruit and lemon zest meet tart apple, toasted brioche and a gently nutty autolytic note. More than four years on lees and zero dosage give the finish impressive length, clarity and drive.
£37.15
Ripe apple and citrus arrive with an apple-skin savouriness and a Brazil-nut edge. Four years and nine months on lees add quiet depth, while zero dosage keeps the palate brisk, precise and exceptionally fresh.
£18.50
Bruised apple, tart red fruit and tangerine meet a wild herbal lift. Bottled during fermentation in the ancestral style, it is lightly sparkling, refreshingly tangy and full of easygoing energy.
£24.60
Bright citrus and crisp apple lead this brisk, moreish Welsh fizz. Five years on lees bring a subtle creamy depth, while the light body and clean, lively finish keep it wonderfully refreshing.
Other visitor facility
Other visitor facility: Not open to the public. The vineyard no longer offers visits or operates a cellar door.