HOMEGROWN TALENT
As I sit at home, enjoying the fresh Cumbria air, thinking about how crazy this whole lockdown has been, it does make one think of one’s home, family and loved ones. Myself, (originally being from Dorset), am quite a distance away from my family during this time. One certainly begins to think of the more important things in this world, and it got me thinking that maybe it was time to concentrate on some vineyards closer to home? Fortunately, there is such a vineyard based down in Dorset that I have known for many years now, but never got the chance to write about ---- until now!!!
The Langham Estate is a small working vineyard/winery based just outside of Dorchester (the county’s capital for those who don’t know) – it was the brainchild of Justin Langham, who’s family have lived on the land for many a year, and wine production took of when Justin took the reigns in 2009 and expanded the estate to 30 acres of planted vines.
The vineyards themselves are situated on some prime chalk soils just outside of Dorchester, with the main grapes comprising Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier. They have been making some award-winning wines for several years now, but when I heard recently that they had promoted their 23-year-old Assistant Wine Maker to the position of Head Wine Maker, I was obviously intrigued.
Tommy Grimshaw is originally from Devon and spent his formative years not far from his home, labelling and bottling wine at the Sharpham Vineyard, to earn a bit of extra cash on the side, whilst doing his A-Levels. He admits that he did not really know a vast amount about the world of wine, viticulture etc… after completing his A-Levels, he was actually offered the position of a “cellar-hand” for the harvest, which led (after a small 6 month break travelling the world – as you do….) to a six year stint at Sharpham working under the guidance of Duncan Schwab (Head Winemaker at Sharpham), 3 of which were as Duncan’s assistant.
He came across the Langham Estate and was impressed by their “minimal” & “hands-off” approach. He joined as the Assistant to Daniel Ham (former Head Winemaker of Langham Estate – Daniel has now gone off to create his own venture, known as “Offbeat Wines”. Tommy says that you can continue to see the influence that Daniel had on him, with his minimal manipulation approach, which I can attest is certainly working.
Being a winemaker at such a young age, can for some I imagine, seem like a rather crazy move, considering the complex processes of making wine, and the dedication that is involved with it all. The Langham Estate however (being a family run business) is keen to nurture home grown talent, and I must say it is lovely to see a local lad, now running a premier wine estate in Dorset. Tommy has taken this in his stride and has many ideas up his sleeves, whilst sticking to the ethos of what this small part of south west England is all about.
The wines themselves at Langham are quite something, they have a range of different wines, all however are characteristic of the Langham Estate, with a freshness, spiced aromas as the wines age, and a character that is truly their own. Below are a few favourites of mine –
The ‘Culver’ NV
A blend of 66% Pinot Noir, 24% Meunier & 10% Chardonnay, with the base being 2017. This is my kind of wine, top heavy in Pinot Noir, full of voluptuous body, crunchy red fruits, toast, and a hint of spice. The acidity lingers and is truly fresh in its character.
Perfect with a selection of locally sourced meats & cheese on a warm summer’s day.
Pinot Meunier 2017
Now I might be wrong, but I am sure that the Langham Estate is the only vineyard in the UK making a 100% single varietal Meunier in this way. Meunier is a fickle grape to work with, can be temperamental and can go wrong.
This is grown on the Home Field Vineyard, which is approx. 15 acres in size.
This is a food friendly wine, and a wine for those richer dishes, those including darker meats, mushrooms, and earthy characters. It is a bold wine, full of floral characters, and this lovely stone fruit aroma that really lingers. That combined with a fresh acidity, and some exceptionally fine bubbles makes this an exceptional English Sparkling Wine.
Dorset Chardonnay, 2018
A new style of Chardonnay made for the first time in the 2018 vintage. Whats intriguing about this wine is that it started its life as a base wine for a sparkling blend. They were so amazed by some parcels of the Chardonnay that they decided to turn it into a still wine. It has seen a combination of different oak, and some stainless steel too, and sticking to their style, it is very minimal, being unfiltered and unfined.
The wine itself is slightly reductive (which I love), with plenty of stone fruits, orchard fruits too and a floral aroma that leaps from the glass. Its mineral, with a medium body on the palate and again that freshness that I love about Langham’s wines.
So… here we have it, the new breed of English Wine makers are starting to make their mark, times have moved on and the next generation of young, charismatic people are now making styles of wine that are truly unique, can be put next to some of the best around the world, and are truly enjoyable.
Keep safe everyone,
Until next time,
Charles
This article was written for https://chefpublishing.com/ for July 2020.