Balfour Blanc de Blancs
£60
Baked apple, lime and pear meet a gentle biscuit note in a precise, fine-bubbled traditional-method sparkling white with a long, fresh finish.
2002
Staplehurst
Balfour began in 2002 when Richard and Leslie Balfour-Lynn planted two hectares at their family’s Hush Heath Estate with one very specific ambition: make an English sparkling rosé they genuinely wanted to drink. The first commercial vintage arrived in 2004; by 2012 Balfour Brut Rosé had reached British Airways First Class and the London Olympics. What started as a passion project has grown into one of Kent’s most confident wineries, producing traditional-method fizz and increasingly ambitious still wines without losing the sense of curiosity that started it.
The 400-acre Hush Heath Estate mixes vines with apple orchards, wildflower meadows and ancient oak woodland. Around 200 acres of Balfour vineyards sit across Kent on Wealden clay, greensand and chalk, giving the winemaking team very different building blocks for both sparkling and still wines. Clones and parcels are monitored and harvested separately, while conservation, wildlife habitats and SWGB-certified practices keep the estate working as a landscape rather than a monoculture.
WINEMAKER
Head Winemaker Fergus Elias brings a new-generation eye to a winery with serious English-wine experience behind it. Working alongside his father Owen—Balfour’s winemaker since the first 2004 vintage—Fergus uses precise clonal selection, small-batch fermentations and full estate control from pressing to disgorging. The house style is clean, bright and finely balanced, but the pair are never afraid to experiment with lesser-known varieties or limited parcels.
The Collection
£60
Baked apple, lime and pear meet a gentle biscuit note in a precise, fine-bubbled traditional-method sparkling white with a long, fresh finish.
£50
Tangerine and red-fruit hints lead into brioche, citrus and a clean oyster-shell finish in a rich but bright traditional-method sparkling white.
£55
Redcurrant, pomegranate and grapefruit lead a lively, structured traditional-method rosé with bright Kentish acidity and a long, fresh finish.
Cellar door
Monday: 10:00–18:00
Tuesday: 10:00–18:00
Wednesday: 10:00–18:00
Thursday: 10:00–22:30
Friday: 10:00–22:30
Saturday: 10:00–22:30
Sunday: 10:00–18:00
Cellar door: Open 365 days. These are the 1 April–31 October hours. From 1 November–30 March, Sunday–Wednesday closes at 5pm and Thursday–Saturday closes at 11pm. Major holidays may require pre-booking; cellar-door food and last-order times vary, so check the official website.