Furleigh Estate sits within 40 acres of beautiful, rolling landscape close to Bridport in Dorset. Ian & Rebecca Hansford cast off their careers in the pensions industry, Ian first graduating from the now world renowned Plumpton Wine School in Sussex, and came back here to Rebecca’s childhood dairy farm. With the support of a financial grant from the EU Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, they planted some 20 acres of the land to the classic varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, exactly as would be found on the chalk slopes of Champagne. A winery equipped with a modern pneumatic press, stainless steel tanks and oak barrels was completed in 2007, and the team was expanded, with two extra pairs of hands looking after the vineyard, and assistance for Ian in the winery in the form of English Winemaker of the Year 2013, Ian Edwards.

Their wines have won a number of national and international awards, including Gold Medal for their 2009 Classic Cuvee at ‘Effervescent du Monde’ in Dijon in 2013, the first English sparkling wine to win an award in this competition.

FURLEIGH ESTATE, Dorset

 Single 6+
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2017 CLASSIC CUVÉE Brut £31.95 £30.50
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2016 BLANC DE BLANCS £33.95 £31.50
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2015 BLANC DE NOIRS £30.95 £29.50
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NV ROSÉ £32.95 £31.50
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“A brilliant bubbly, one of our greatest methode-champenoise vintage sparklers yet.  Made from the traditional champagne trio of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, but with two-thirds black grapes to one third chardonnay Furleigh oozes champagne-aping finesse only a warm English summer and harvest can bring.  I adored this elegant, rich, ripe, toasty, creamy fizz with lots of tart, tangy, lemon zest fruit on the finish.  It’s even better after three years in the cellar.”  Jane MacQuitty, The Times