Our most complex Silex to date and a sign of how the wine style is developing.  It is Chardonnay dominant, which makes up 39 % of the blend with the other varieties being Pinot Blanc (28 %), Pinot Gris (17 %) and Pinot Noir (16 %)

It spent 12 months in oak with 20 % of the barrels being brand new.  This new oak contributed quite a weight to the wine both in texture but also aroma.  Although it has been given lots of time to open up in barrel and, now in the bottle, it still shows a hint of reductive style character on the nose.  This comes across as back-notes of burnt toast or struck match.  Really pleasing and adding to the complexity and “seriousness” of this particular wine, as these characters are not always appreciated by all.

Whole-bunch, ultra-gently pressed ‘coeur de cuvée’ juice was taken straight down to barrels at the press.  This allowed the fermentation to be started without settling the juice - minimal handling and relatively high turbidity (low juice clarity) - perfect for complexity.

Fermentation happened slowly (over 2 months to reach dryness) being that the fruit was picked late in the season when things were cooler.  Malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel with a further 12 months ageing and lees stirring (bâtonnage).

To taste, It is textural and there is a definite presence of oak.  There is fruit in there with dried apricot, marmalade flavours and lemon peel but the toasty, deeper notes persist too.  It has been described as an ‘intelligent wine’ - I’m not sure what this means but I’ll take it!  I think it just means that it requires some thought, some consideration, some time, some food and that it is not a straightforward crowd-pleaser!  Even though it’s a year older than the 2024, I think it needs more time.  Open it and save some for a couple of days - it mellows and softens.

Like the 2023 this wine is Chardonnay dominant but even more so than the 2024, with the blend being Chardonnay (66 %), Pinot Blanc (24 %), Pinot Noir (6 %) and Pinot Gris (4 %).

We blended nearly twice as much Chardonnay this year including three barrels of reserve Chardonnay that had been laid down from the 2023 vintage.  The winemaking was very similar though, with gentile pressing and fermentation and 100 % malolactic fermentation in 225 L barrels.  The wine spent 12 months in oak but no new oak was used and then it was bottled unfiltered, similarly to the 2023.

I feel that this has resulted in a more elegant and delicate wine that is opening up in certain ways more quickly than the 2024.  There are no signs of reductive style aromas on the nose, which is more subtle with blossom, honey, baked peaches and light spice.  There is a touch of oak but this comes across to me as more waxy lanolin than toasty and buttery.

On the palate there is a definitive acidity and slightly less texture throughout the mid-palate.  Lots of citrus upfront leading to quite a long, stoney finish with a chewy, mouth-watering pull from the tannins.  To me, it’s breezier than the 2023, less weighty, less ‘serious’ but not less ‘intelligent’.  This blend was a deliberate attempt to keep a Chardonnay character in the Silex but without as much of the big, vanilla flavour that was in the 2023.  Time will tell how it develops but at present I think it is perhaps a better balanced wine than the 2023 - the minerality and more citrus-style aromas better suit the acidity and tannin.

To pair them both side by side, I would open them both after being out of the fridge for 40 minutes.  Taste right away on their own and then perhaps serve with some food if you can.  Maybe leave a glass of each in the bottle in the fridge for a couple of nights and then re-taste to see if anything has changed!!  And please let me know what you think.

Our Précoce 2024 is a sign of how this wine is developing at Flint.  There is 35 % classic Pinot Noir (or Spätburgunder) in the mix, which adds acidity, texture and black-currant leaf.

We fermented the wine partially in concrete tanks for the first time in 2024, which is a traditional vessel that I became familiar with during my time in Beaujolais.  Like oak, concrete breathes and it allows the wine to soften and develop but without the influence of oak flavours.  It’s a lovely way to ferment Précoce and is something we’ll be doing more of in the 2025 release.

There is more precision to the 2024 and more acidity than 2023, the latter coming from the Pinot Noir in the blend which is picked with a much lower pH than Précoce. This gives it structure and a little more ageing potential. Our Précoce of the past has been so low in acidity that it ages very very quickly. Oxidation and all chemical reactions go quicker at higher pH levels and I always found that our Précoce tasted a few years older than its actual age. Not a bad thing but an observation.

So the 2024 has a bit more colour, acidity and crunch from the slightly greener tannins of the Pinot Noir. There is less of the Beaujolais style bubblegum fruit that is typical of Précoce but still lots of lifted perfume: blackcurrant and sweet liquorice on the nose with some stoney, wet minerality in the background. Soft but focused on the palate with enough length and texture to make it worth savouring. I hope you enjoy this one. More of an evening wine than the 2023 but still light enough to enjoy for lunch if needed!

This is proper Marmite. It’s also something that most other English winemakers would avoid. Sweet, Germanic-style wines send shivers down the spines of wine snobs who have enough knowledge to be dangerous but not enough to realise that there is no such thing as a wrong style of wine.

The first UK wines were mostly off-dry or sweet and that’s because they had no other choice. The climate was cooler meaning grapes couldn’t ripen and were full of acid so they back sweetened with sugar to take the edge off. German, off-dry wines at the time were also becoming unpopular and so the English did all they could to shake off this association.

Labs 2 is not this. It is not back sweetened with sugar. It is two Bacchus fermentations, made in premium concrete, stopped early and blended with some Sauvignon blanc juice that was cold settling and had not begun fermenting. It’s a heck of a lot of fun but the result is something we didn’t really expect. Yes it’s slightly sweet (not too sweet though - about 35 g/L residual sugar so not a Sauternes). But there’s acid there which provides a lovely balance and bags of aromatics that capture the essence of the harvest.

This has proven more popular than we imagined. Yes there are some detractors who are still convinced they only like dry wines. I don’t believe you but there you go - enjoy it for what it is. Cold, as an aperitif and one bottle in one sitting!

Labs 3 is made 100 % from Auxerrois: a lovely white grape variety that I've always wanted to work with.  First planted in the UK in the 90s but long since forgotten and unfairly so.  Grown widely in Alsace and a close relative of Chardonnay, it ripens early and produces wines of character.

In 2024 we were lucky to work with a tiny vineyard in Suffolk called Shotley, not far from the Orwell bridge.  A sheltered spot and loyal host to a range of Germanic grape varieties which, whilst once out of favour with some, are coming to the fore more recently.   I had to keep some of their Auxerrois aside to make a single barrel fermentation.  We whole-bunch pressed the fruit, taking free-run juice directly to 3rd-fill barrels.  Cool, slow fermentation in oak was followed by malolactic fermentation, and a further 9 months ageing resulted in an unassuming yet confident wine that is typical to its roots. 

The wine is straw coloured with a delicate nose that is citrus-like and yet more alluring. Notes of wet wool, cut flowers and vanilla pod. Bright on the palate with a soft texture and persistent mineral finish. Drink now but also give this wine a chance to develop in bottle - that's where the interest will happen with this one!

This was an experiment of Oli's in the 2024 harvest as he wanted to make a rosé. I said ‘Nah’ but he did it anyway without me knowing….and I’m glad he did!

The process used in this wine is called ‘Saignée’ and it involves straining a portion of fermenting juice away from the skins during a red fermentation. This both concentrates down the resulting red wine and gifts the by-product of a blush rosé juice that can be a wonderful wine in its own right.

Burgundian clone (777) Pinot Noir was hand-picked from the first plantings at Flint as late as the season would allow.  The fruit was crushed and de-stemmed and started fermenting in concrete.  After 2 days, saignée juice was sent straight to an old barrel where it completed primary fermentation.

Oli regularly stirred the barrel to agitate the lees: a process known as bâtonnage.  The intention here was to produce a bold, brazen rosé - not a polite Provençal pretender!  Malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel to soften the wine and build structure.  Then Oli left the wine to age, regularly stirring and topping it up and keeping sulphite levels to a bare minimum.

The wine has a delicate pinkish-copper hue which betrays its rich character.  Deeply perfumed on the nose and showing slightly oxidative notes of wild strawberries.  There are lifted aromas of Turkish Delight and rose petals and the palate is soft and textured with complex undertones that suggest aniseed and spice.  A compelling rosé wine that we hope you enjoy.  Not for the typical pink wine seeker....but one we might like to bring into the Flint range in future....your feedback much appreciated!