Pull up a chair at Gusbourne’s annual lees tasting and discover why this inner-circle event is one of the most important moments in the winemakers’ year

The lees tasting is true inner-circle stuff. A day spent critiquing around 40 different wines. But mention the concept to a friend, and the classic reaction tends to be an eye roll and “That doesn’t sound like a real job…”

And I suppose (on the surface at least) it doesn’t.

It sounds ridiculously indulgent and decadent. But once you’ve seen it in progress, you know that this is a serious business - the atmosphere sits firmly at the "exam conditions" end of the fun spectrum.

What is a lees tasting, and why do it?
So, before we rush ahead, spittoon in hand, let’s cover the basics: what are lees, what is a lees tasting and why do we do it?

The lees are the spent yeast cells, a byproduct of fermentation. They are responsible for giving sparkling wines their rich, toasty and creamy notes – and, simply put, the longer a wine spends on its lees, the more pronounced these flavours are.

The lees tasting is when we disgorge a sample bottle of each wine (taking it off its lees) in order to taste it and judge its evolution. This gives us a cross-section of the cellar – and a chance to check in on how each bottling is developing in terms of texture, complexity and flavour.

Ready, set, taste
On a bright, crisp, clear January morning – the kind of day where the weather tugs at you to be outdoors, head tilted to the sky – the winemakers, and a few key tastemakers, assembled at The Nest in Appledore. 

Alastair “AJ” Benham, Head of Wine Operations, had organised the tasting of 33 different bottles: 11 flights of wines, some well-known and soon-to-be-released, some top-secret and experimental. Each flight is designed to place a specific wine in context – so, for example, Flight 1 looked at our Blanc de Blancs from four different vintages. (A not dissimilar experience to our Blanc de Blancs Vertical Tasting Masterclass, only without the luxury of conversation and a delicious lunch.)

AJ set the scene – and the timer: we’d be allowed 20 minutes for each flight to assess each wine’s readiness, consistency and style. The winemakers and Laura Rhys, Master Sommelier, recorded their detailed notes and observations in a spreadsheet. It's firmly "heads down"; glasses swirled; keyboards tapped; notes taken, and a soundtrack uniquely acceptable to wine professionals: sniffing, slurping and spitting.

After each flight, we'd take it in turns to voice a view before the winemakers gave their verdict. "Really good consistency across the flight," commented Jonathan White, our CEO, of the first Blanc de Blancs in the line-up. "Lovely honeysuckle notes; it's a more complete and integrated wine than when we last tasted it. It has an almost crunchy texture which I love." 

Across the board, the 2019s were felt to be really coming into their stride; the cooler conditions of the vintage lent grace, elegance and poise to these wonderfully mineral wines. If you have Blanc de Blancs 2019 in your cellar you can be confident that it's ready to enjoy. Equally, the structure of the wine showed it has time in hand if you prefer your sparkling with more age. We also tasted single-vineyard wines from 2019; those who love this zoomed-in view of our terroir will have a treat in store when these are, at last, judged to be ready

Meanwhile, the 2020 vintage wines emerged as sunny and warm - characteristic of the year's conditions. These are wines that are pure pleasure: rich and inviting. For now, our 2020 bottlings of Blanc de Blancs, Rose ("Which reminded me of strawberries and cream with a ginger tuille biscuit," says Laura) and Blanc de Noirs will remain in our cellar, but they promise to be a joy on release. Watch this space. 

The secrets of the cellar
At this point, I need to step back from the tasting sheet and obscure your view a little. The remainder of the day was spent looking at projects which are still under wraps.

Suffice to say that you can look forward to a brand-new release which will be a thrill for those who love their sparkling rich and robust. And we tasted new vintages of two wines for the first time - they're dazzling. We can't wait for you to try them. 

And then there are - to quote one of the team - "the teenagers" - those wines which have masses of upfront energy; bundles of potential, but need time to become more complex. These bottlings are ones to revisit in six months. And perhaps again in another year. They'll be given all the time they need to gain the grace and elegance for which Gusbourne is known. 

Eleven flights in
So, with all the wines assessed, the spittoons emptied and tastebuds tired, the tasting is complete. The mood is buzzing. Even after hours of concentration, the team's excited. We've tasted some sensational wines which we know are almost there. A little more time and they'll be ready to show the world - and we can't wait. 

Share