Blanc de Blancs
£60
Nectarine, quince and baked apple unfold into praline, warm bread and quiet nuttiness. Silky bubbles and poised acidity give this pure-Chardonnay cuvée length and enough depth for roast fish or buttery poultry.
2017
Mannings Heath, Horsham
Leonardslee is a new wine name rooted in a much older landscape. When Penny Streeter OBE and her family acquired Leonardslee and Mannings Heath in 2016, they set about restoring one of Sussex’s great garden estates — then translated their South African wine experience into a new English sparkling project. The first vines went into the ground in 2017 and the launch wines finally appeared in 2024. Penny recruited winemaker Johann Fourie and viticulturist Barry Anderson from the family’s Benguela Cove orbit, bringing a genuinely cross-hemisphere point of view to West Sussex. Chardonnay and the two Pinots provide the classic architecture, while a tiny parcel of Pinotage slips a subtle South African signature into the rosé. The swallow on each label makes that journey visible, flying between the two countries and accompanied by four smaller birds for Penny’s children. The estate is designed to be experienced as well as tasted. Visitors can drop in for a flight, book a tutored tasting or roll through the vineyard by buggy before settling into lunch, afternoon tea or dinner. Add the gardens, golf and two distinctive places to stay, and Leonardslee feels less like a cellar-door stop than a sparkling-wine weekend waiting to happen.
More than 70,000 vines occupy around 38 acres of sheltered, south-facing ground at Mannings Heath, with further young plantings at Leonardslee Gardens. Chardonnay leads the mix, followed by Pinot Noir and Meunier, while a small experimental parcel of Pinotage connects Sussex to the Streeter family’s South African wine story. Cover crops fill the working rows, under-vine mulching returns organic matter to the soil and minimal tillage protects the life beneath the surface.
WINEMAKER
Johann Fourie brings the instincts of a South African traditional-method specialist to the cooler rhythm of West Sussex. Working with viticulturist Barry Anderson, he starts with hand-picked, whole-bunch-pressed fruit and builds detail through stainless steel, carefully judged French oak and long bottle maturation. His Leonardslee wines are generous without losing their line: orchard fruit and brioche in the Reserve, supple red fruit in the Rosé and quieter, nutty depth in the Blanc de Blancs.
The Collection
£60
Nectarine, quince and baked apple unfold into praline, warm bread and quiet nuttiness. Silky bubbles and poised acidity give this pure-Chardonnay cuvée length and enough depth for roast fish or buttery poultry.
£39.50
Golden apple and lemon tart meet brioche, gentle smoke and a savoury, saline finish. A little French oak and reserve wine add breadth, but bright acidity keeps this polished Sussex fizz moving.
£39.50
Wild strawberry, cherry and pomegranate lead, with Turkish-delight perfume and a savoury almond-and-biscuit edge. Pinotage gives the pale rosé an unusual pulse, while fine bubbles and grapefruit freshness keep it gastronomic.
Wine bar
Wednesday: 11:00–17:00
Thursday: 11:00–17:00
Friday: 11:00–17:00
Saturday: 11:00–17:00
Sunday: 11:00–17:00
Wine bar: Wine Lounge Wednesday–Sunday 11:00–17:00. The current experience page also advertises non-tutored flights from 11:00 Monday–Sunday, so Monday/Tuesday visitors should confirm live availability. Tour times vary seasonally and require advance booking.