2009 Nyetimber 1086

Disgorged in July 2016 with nine grams per liter dosage, there are some 2,600 bottles of Nyetimber's 2009 1086 Vintage. The wine has certainly turned out well, unfurling in the glass with aromas of warm biscuits, honeyed yellow orchard fruit, pastry cream and macadamia nut that mingle in a classy and understated bouquet. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and complete, with an elegantly textural attack, good depth at the core and ripe but racy structuring acids, displaying a delicate mousse and a precise, nicely defined finish. This is among the most structurally complete English sparkling wines that I've tasted to date, and the fact that this reflects the viticulture and winemaking of two decades ago offers considerable basis for optimism about how the wines being made at Nyetimber today will turn out.

Dosage 7 g/l. Five years on the lees. Dairy, cooked apple, full and complex on the palate thanks to the extensive autolysis. Sweet and salt on the finish, like pastry. Dry and almost austere impression from the low dosage. Full body. Stylish, and you can see it competing against the champagne bigwigs. (RH)

Tasted blind. Rather beery nose. Lots of crisp acidity but racy and satisfying. Lots of texture and chew but very respectable. Neat and well made. Racy and satisfying. Lovely satin texture – very contained and introvert. (JR)