Rathfinny Wine Estate stands among England’s most distinguished sparkling wine producers, crafting elegant Sussex wines on the sun‑drenched chalk slopes of the South Downs. Founded in 2010, this family‑owned estate unites artisanal expertise, sustainable practices and an exceptional terroir to create sparkling wines of true world‑class calibre, rivaling the finest Champagnes. Rathfinny is also the world’s first grower‑producer of sparkling wine to achieve B Corp certification — a testament to its uncompromising quality, environmental stewardship and refined winemaking philosophy.

2019 VINTAGE The 2019 growing season had a flying start with average daily temperatures of 16°C within the seven-day bud-burst period, resulting in the earliest completion date ever recorded at Rathfinny. Propelled by continued warmth in June, flowering was completed in just a few days. Temperatures remained above average throughout the rest of the summer months, including record-breaking heat during late July. Aside from the warmth, rainfall was higher than normal during harvest, but disease pressure was low due to effective vineyard management throughout the year. Chardonnay performed particularly well with a corresponding increase in the varietal yield due to our newly adopted pruning technique and served to complement the Pinot varieties in the 2019 Classic Cuvée and Rosé blends. All grapes were hand harvested and whole-bunched pressed, displaying the perfect balance of sugar and acidity in line with Sussex PDO requirements.

Winemaking

Inoculated with commercial yeast, fermented in stainless steel tanks at 16 °C. TIME IN BOTTLE Minimum 36 months.

Tasting notes

Luminescent gold in colour, with a delicate nose of ripe, almost tropical fruit, yielding a complex palate of apricot and creamy citrus fruits with a delicious long, elegant yuzu finish. A lacy, chalk-dust and white-florals perfume. Dry and fine – exquisitely tiny bubbles and fine-boned structure. Marine-like salinity dominates the palate, although there is a trace of grapefruit to the flinty backbone, and a faint top note of something fragrant, even lavender-like. Very, very elegant with a long, understated finish.

Food pairing

This elegant sparkling has a saline kick that matches beautifully with fish and seafood dishes such as turbot with samphire, crab risotto or seabass sashimi.