Burges Field Vineyard
Turning sun, rain and chalk into something delicious
Beneath the soil
Under Burges Field's thin cap of gravelly clay lies a deep layer of pure white chalk dotted with hard silica flints. Hundreds of metres deep, the chalk layer acts like a sponge, storing water from the winter storms for the heat of the summer. It also does something magical – it imparts a steely minerality, like rain on black flint, to the taste of the Chardonnay – a minerality that gives our wines their fine structure and should let them age beautifully.
Workings and Workers
It takes a lot to tend a vine and, with fifty-two thousand of them, Burges Field needs a lot of people to keep it just so. Samuel Philippot (born and raised in Montpélier) conducts operations with a laser-like focus on quality.
Starting in February the specific tasks through the year are: pruning, bud-rubbing, wire-lifting, canopy management, leaf thinning, green harvest and, finally, the harvest itself… not to mention the mowing, weeding and spraying that goes on throughout. Though these last three are done by tractor, everything else is strictly manual and takes skill to do well. Thankfully most of our seasonal Romanian workers grew up in wine-country.
Sam is always on the lookout for extra pairs of hands to join our team, even on an occasional basis, so if you are local to Burges Field and fancy some work in the vineyard, get in touch.
The Grapes
We grow three different varieties of grape in our vineyard in Hampshire - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Each variety has its own character which is deftly highlighted by Harry Pickering's sure touch in the winery.
Pinot Noir brings raspberry fruit, body and a savour of earthiness. Chardonnay has green apple and citrus freshness and that briochey, vanilla butteriness that is so moreish. Pinot Meunier, rarely used on its own in a wine, brings an aromatic, fruit-filled roundness.
Using just the right amount of each variety to create distinctive and characterful blends is what Harry and his team in the winery do so well!
