2009
Dorchester
Langham’s modern story began in 2009, when Justin Langham planted the first vines on the family’s Crawthorne Farm in rural Dorset. More blocks followed as the site proved itself, growing from a promising chalk slope into a 34-hectare estate devoted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The wines do not chase the neatest version of English fizz. Under Head Winemaker Tommy Grimshaw, parcels ferment with wild yeasts in steel and seasoned French barrels, complete malolactic conversion and spend long months developing before blending. Bottling without fining or filtration, lower pressure and tiny dosages preserve texture, savoury detail and the gently oxidative character that has become Langham’s signature. The estate is also unusually easy to enjoy at ground level. Follow a self-guided route through the vines, join a winery tour, book time with the winemaking team or settle into Smiths Kitchen for lunch. Friday evenings stretch a little later in summer, proving that serious sparkling wine need not come with a stiff collar.
The vines rise across sheltered south-to-south-west-facing slopes at Crawthorne Farm, roughly 80–110 metres above sea level. Flinty clay lies over deep, porous Cretaceous chalk, storing and draining water while lending the wines their persistent saline line. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are grown as a patchwork of parcels, giving Tommy Grimshaw a broad palette for blending rather than a single prescribed house recipe.
WINEMAKER
Tommy Grimshaw joined Langham in January 2019 after learning his craft at Sharpham in Devon and became Head Winemaker before the year was out. His approach takes cues from Europe’s grower-producers: harvest by taste, ferment parcels with their own yeasts, use old oak for texture rather than flavour and intervene only when the wine needs it. The result is fizz with energy, savoury breadth and a distinctly Dorset sense of place.
The Collection
£34.95
Chardonnay leads with juicy nectarine and bright citrus before the chalk comes through: salty, taut and mouth-watering. Reserve wine adds breadth, while the bone-dry finish keeps this low-intervention Dorset fizz vivid and precise.
£34.95
Red cherry, cranberry and blackcurrant leaf meet toasted panettone, lemon mousse and a peppery lift. Pinot and Meunier give this broad, savoury cuvée dinner-table confidence, while low dosage keeps the fruit alert.
£37.95
White peach, apricot and red plum sit over blood-orange freshness, a creamy note and the faintest grip from red wine and old oak. Dry, structured and grown-up, this is rosé fizz built for food.
Cellar door
Tuesday: 10:00–17:00
Wednesday: 10:00–17:00
Thursday: 10:00–17:00
Friday: 10:00–21:00
Saturday: 10:00–17:00
Sunday: 10:00–17:00
Cellar door: Open year-round; Monday closed. Guided tours run on advertised dates. For self-guided walks, arrive during opening hours and preferably by 15:30; harvest may restrict the route in early October.
