Chapel Down Pinot Reserve

This bottle was bought in mistake; I thought it was a still red, but it turned out to be a Blanc de Noir sparkler from Kent. That caused me to be one red wine short at the English wine dinner. I could not use it that night, so this was tasted instead at Xmas lunch. We had been having Champagne Gardet's NV offering as an aperitive, and this was paired with the salmon starter. So this English sparkling wine ended up being drunk in comparison with a champagne that Dorchester had used as their house champagne.

Well, it showed up very well indeed. The Gardet NV was nice and crisp whilst the Chapel Down sparkler was a tad more fruity and a touch softer and sweeter. Slightly lighter than the Gardet, with a golden straw hue, and with similarly fine bubbles, it was a touch more fruity both on the nose and palate. Both had a nice acid prickle, with a nice acid backbone that goes right through to the finish.