{"product_id":"2022-chardonnay-roman-road-simpsons-wine-estate","title":"2022, Chardonnay, Roman Road, Simpsons Wine Estate","description":"\u003ch3\u003eHow it tastes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTropical and citrus fruit in layers, with a whisper of butterscotch and struck flint. Ripe and intense on the palate, kept honest by chalky minerality, fresh citrus and a touch of cedar from the barrel. Chardonnay 100%.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe producer\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharles and Ruth Simpson made wine in the south of France from 2002 before bringing what they'd learned back to Kent in 2012, planting 30 hectares on the chalk of the North Downs and picking their first harvest in 2016. Roman Road is a single vineyard in the Elham Valley, on lime-rich chalk from the same ridge that runs under Burgundy, less than eight miles from the sea; the Burgundian clone 548 Chardonnay is Guyot-trained on south-facing slopes at 4,200 vines per hectare, with grass between the rows and everything pruned and picked by hand. Winemaker Leigh Sparrow fermented part of the 2022 in two 600-litre French oak barrels with selected and wild yeasts and the rest in steel, with full malolactic for creaminess; a quarter aged in new French oak, a quarter in older barrels with tailored bâtonnage, and half on lees in tank. 2022 started cool, dodging frost, then ran warm, sunny and dry — the chalk held enough water to deliver a full crop with excellent ripeness. The estate is a member of Sustainable Wines of Great Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFood and drinking\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGood with roast chicken, crab, smoked haddock and creamy pasta. Drinking well now and will develop over three to five years. Serve at 10–12°C. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simpsons Wine Estate","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55718648807807,"sku":"HNW-3747422A","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/4192\/4998\/files\/2022_Chardonnay_RomanRoad_SimpsonsWineEstate.png?v=1755807400","url":"https:\/\/www.edkawines.com\/products\/2022-chardonnay-roman-road-simpsons-wine-estate","provider":"Edka Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}