As we celebrate the release of 1086 by Nyetimber, 2013 vintage, we look closely at these prestigious blends, and ask our Senior Winemaker, Brad Greatrix, to tell us more about why they’re so special.

WHAT IS A PRESTIGE CUVÉE? 

A prestige cuvée is the very finest blend from a sparkling wine Estate. Made with the best grapes from outstanding vintages, these top-quality parcels are blended into a single cuvée, often in limited quantities, and produced only on rare occasion. Representing the pinnacle of a producer’s range, each bottle is the ultimate expression of the vineyard and of the winemaker’s craft.

Signalling the ‘pièce de résistance’ of a producer’s ability, prestige cuvée wines were once known to belong to the grand marques champagne houses.  “Prestige cuvée is generally understood to be the finest expression from a sparkling wine producer,” Explains Nyetimber Senior Winemaker, Brad Greatrix. “From the very earliest days of Eric Heerema owning Nyetimber, he could see this unfulfilled potential for English sparkling wine. And knowing that world-class wines were possible from England and from Nyetimber, Eric made the bold realisation that in order for English wine to be properly celebrated on the world stage, we needed to produce a prestige cuvée.” 

England’s first ever prestige cuvée, 1086 by Nyetimber, was crafted from the 2009 vintage and released in 2018. Decadent, elegant and complex, with aromas of honey, pastry and almond with a bright core of acidity, the wine was aged for almost a decade before release, and was celebrated for its purity and long, lingering finish.  

This year, we celebrate the launch of the third in the series, 1086 2013 by Nyetimber.

“Our prestige cuvée is made from the best of our best.”

– Brad Greatrix, Senior Winemaker at Nyetimber.

“There isn’t a precise definition of a prestige cuvée,” Brad comments, “Every producer can, in a way, choose their own path. For some, it may be that wines are aged in a certain way in the cellar. For others, it could be that the wines are made from a particular block of vines. When we came to producing 1086 by Nyetimber, we were defining and creating a prestige cuvée from scratch.” 

All good quality wine starts with the quality of the fruit. There is a saying, that ‘good wine is made in the vineyard’. For exceptional wine, we believe that it comes down to specific vineyard plots, and identifying those producing the very best quality grapes of the entire vineyard area in any specific vintage.

For many producers, that may mean selecting from Premier Cru or Grand Cru vineyards. At Nyetimber, our winemaking team; Brad Greatrix together with Head Winemaker Cherie Spriggs, have been a part of our story for seventeen years, or, seventeen vintages. They know the sites, row by row, vine by vine. Rather than having designated, predefined vineyard plots, they are able to assess which are the highest performing in any particular vintage. 

“Cherie and I have always taken the approach to put the vineyard first in the wines that we produce. Nyetimber is committed to being 100% estate-owned, our wines reflect our vineyards. We’re able to get to know the sites on a really granular level –  to spend time walking up and down the rows, tasting the grapes, and exploring what’s interesting here or there, how is this section different from that section…” 

Brad continues, “A natural extension of that is to vinify all those little parcels of vines that you come across.

So from the very beginning, we’ve been working that way. Our approach, close attention to detail in all the pockets of the vineyards and what they’re providing, meant that we were able to discover these amazing jewels, these parcels that had performed extremely well.”

The most exceptional fruit is hand-selected from the best-performing plots, and then that same meticulous attention to detail continues throughout the rest of the process: the grapes are hand picked, pressed, vinified separately often in a slow, long fermentation to preserve the delicate flavours. The resulting juice is then artfully blended together, parcel by parcel, pinpointing and complementing the desired flavours from each. The wines spend an extended time in contact with the lees, imparting extra depth, texture, creaminess and richness of mouthfeel. 

Extended ageing is a key marker of the prestige cuvée, setting these extraordinary wines apart from other vintage-dated sparkling wines. We can expect several years of ageing before disgorgement. The wines are then disgorged with moderate dosage, which preserves the pure elegant flavours.

We now know that prestige cuvée wines are made in the most outstanding vintages, but what does an outstanding vintage look like? Brad shares some insight:

“Rather than selecting our prestige cuvée wines from the same parcel year-on-year, we instead work with those that interact best with the characteristics and conditions of a particular growing season to produce something special.

This is a highly unique approach. Taking a year that is already considered as producing extremely high quality grapes and then taking the best-performing parcels from that year to produce something special. Our prestige cuvée is made from the best of our best.

When blending, people might be surprised to learn that, rather than the individual flavours of the wine, we’re paying close attention to the foundation of the wine: the structure, balance, and mouthfeel. We know that wines that are balanced tend to age and evolve in the most elegant way. If a wine starts its life balanced, everything can tend to progress in harmony. These are the wines that age beautifully.”

“2009 was the first year where we were afforded that opportunity for the white blend of 1086 by Nyetimber. 1086 Rosé followed a year after, in fact, in 2010 we produced both, a white blend and rosé. 

2013 is a really interesting vintage because it signifies what can be really special about England. The early part of the growing season was good – it was warm, dry, we got off to a good start and had a really good fruit set. Then towards mid of the season, temperatures turned a little bit cooler, and so everything sort of slowed down. Still moving forward in a nice way, but without any sort of rush. What that slightly cooler-climate ripening means is that you can preserve and hang on to all those fine-boned elegant or high-toned flavours for which England can be known.”

Crafted from the finest materials, artfully blended; prestige cuvées showcase a remarkable interaction of texture, acidity, length, and flavour. Expect complex and layered notes and aromas, ranging from citrus and stone fruits to florals, alongside additional layers of pastry, brioche, and vanilla. The flavours should build on the aromas, with added elements of acidity and richness, and fine, elegant but persistent bubbles. 

“We’re trying to make sure that we preserve that seamless element so that as you taste it, however you perceive the wine, it’s one complex entity.” 

An iconic expression of excellence

With unmatched complexity, elegance, and poise, 1086 by Nyetimber is characterised by its exceptional balance. 2013 was a vintage of pleasingly temperate conditions, with a fresh spring and summer, and calm conditions throughout, allowing for the gradual ripening and layered flavour development. Rich red apple, peach, and white rose petals meld with almond and clotted cream in a long, refined finish. Complex and indulgent with sublime texture.