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Langham takes its low intervention revolution to Liberty

Run by Justin Langham since 2009, with rising star Tommy Grimshaw at the winemaking helm, the Puddletown-based estate will now be exclusively distributed by Liberty in the UK and Ireland. The majority sparkling estate was previously represented by Wanderlust Wine and Lea & Sandeman.

Speaking to Harpers during a visit to the vineyards and winery last week, the team described how the estate is currently undergoing an ambitious expansion project. This includes a brand new winery which will soon begin construction and is due to be operational by August 2025, plus significant plantings in what has been dubbed ‘John’s Field’. The field was established in 2022 in memory of Justin’s father, who planted Langham’s first vines and sadly passed away just after the first wines were released back in 2010.

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In the first few years after inception, intensive work began to identify the sites most suited to a mixture of traditional method sparkling wines and also smattering of still, with a hands-off approach beginning with previous winemaker Daniel Ham. That approach has continued with current chief winemaker Tommy Grimshaw, who has been in the role since 2020.

“I think this site has been underestimated,” vineyard manager James McLean said. “But it has really amazing fruit, which is beginning to be appreciated now with our awards (we won the 2024 WineGB award for Estate Winery of the Year). In about 2017 we switched to minimal intervention with far less lees aging. It just made sense.”

“A lot of English vineyards pick early and bang the wine on the lees for five years, which seems counterintuitive,” added Grimshaw.

“The benefit of a long growing season is to age for a long time and really achieve that ripeness. Our Pinot Noir and Blanc de Blancs shows our barrel aging and oxidative styles. My goal is to constantly think about adding complexity and richness.”

Akin to grower Champagnes, Langham uses only estate-grown, hand-harvested fruit for its traditional-method sparklers, with base wines made using indigenous yeasts, extended ageing and regular bâtonnage in a mix of stainless steel, concrete and used French barriques.

Oxidative techniques and blending from an array of complex base wines are key to Langham’s style. Minimal use of sulphur and low dosage preserve the expression of sites such as the 34ha Crawthorne vineyard, which is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier on a sheltered south-facing slope. Clay loam and flint soils lie over deep Cretaceous chalk and is worked to minimise environmental impact.

The estate’s signature Corallian Classic Cuvée NV and Culver Classic Cuvée NV are both named after the coral-rich limestone rock strata 300m below the surface. The Chardonnay-dominant Corallian has a delicate nuttiness from partial barrel ageing and a reserve parcel kept under flor before secondary fermentation. The Pinot Noir-led Culver (named after Culver chalk) is more opulent, with a savoury, spicy character. The Rosé NV is vinous and gastronomic, with the wider range bottled under lower pressure of between five and six bars, as opposed to the more standard six.

The estate is one of the most prominent in Dorset, producing 110,000 bottles last year. It is also increasingly establishing itself with a number of innovative projects. This includes the upcoming first release of a perpetual cuvee multi vintage Chardonnay, drawing from reserve wines from 2017, 2018 and 2019. It was bottled in 2020, disgorged in 2024 and is due to be released next year.

Liberty Wines CEO Tom Platt said: “Langham is one of the most exciting names in English wine and complements perfectly our existing English sparkling range, both in terms of their geographical location and style. Together, Langham in Dorset, Rathfinny in East Sussex, Nyetimber in West Sussex and Candover Brook in Hampshire highlight the outstanding quality and diversity fast emerging in English sparkling wine and we are delighted to further strengthen our offering to customers.”

Owner Justin Langham added: “2024 has been a fantastic year for us and we are delighted to join Liberty Wines. This partnership will help us meet growing demand and expand our distribution across the UK and Ireland. We are incredibly excited for the future.”

Top photo (L-R): Sales and marketing manager Calum Chance; head winemaker and Harpers 30 Under 30 Commitment Champion for 2022 Tommy Grimshaw; and owner Justin Langham

• English wine
• Liberty Wines
• low intervention
• Langham Wine Estate