As we introduce the new vintage of our signature wine, Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2020, we speak with Laura Rhys, Master Sommelier, to find out more about its style, characteristics and how best to enjoy it.
After the beautiful precision of 2019, our 2020 release has a subtly different kind of charm – creamy, open and elegantly generous from the very first sip. Laura describes the moment you first get to know a new vintage as both exciting and reflective. “Part of the wonder of single vintages is that you get to know them throughout their release window and you see them change and evolve and age,” she says.
When Laura and Head Winemaker Mary Bridges tasted it together, the reaction was unanimous: “It is a lovely wine. There’s a really appealing creaminess and an openness to it; that being said, it still retains all of that citrus mineral character that we have come to expect.”
The character of 2020
The 2020 growing season was famously warm and bright. That sunshine translates directly into the glass. Laura captures it simply: “In this wine it translates as openness; a really nice breadth in the palate.” Within the stylistic range of Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs, the 2020 vintage sits at the more open, approachable end while still remaining firmly aligned with the signature style of the wine.
“It still has precision and elegance,” she notes, “but it just feels a little bit broader.” Alongside this increased generosity, the wine holds on to the hallmarks that Chardonnay lovers seek out: “There’s a really lovely intensity of fruit: bags of that citrus green apple character that we’ve come to know and love.”
A natural pairing with seafood
Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs is always a food-friendly sparkling wine, and 2020 continues that tradition with confidence. Seafood is a perfect match. “I would drink it with shellfish, lobster… and all of those fish dishes that you’d normally think about with Chardonnay.”
This Blanc de Blancs spent an extended period on its lees before release. This brings texture, savoury complexity and finesse. As Laura explains, the ageing “has really helped to build more complex nutty, toasty brioche characters which will start to come out with more time under cork as well.” Those autolytic notes are already emerging subtly and will continue to deepen.
Every vintage opens a new chapter for Gusbourne Chardonnay. Where 2019 delivered crystalline tension, 2020 brings breadth, fruit generosity and early charm. As Laura sums it up, “It's a delicious example of the 2020 vintage.”
Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2020 is now available. We can’t wait for you to taste it.
