When I was offered samples of the wines from Burn Valley Vineyard it was, I think, the very first time I’d encountered wines from Norfolk in the East of England. There are in fact eight wineries listed by industry body WineGB in Norfolk, but it remains a relatively small wine producing county compared with Sussex, Kent or Hampshire.
Burn Valley Vineyards was established by farmer John Robinson. A mixed farm of cereals, sugar beet and grazing sheep, it was 2015 when his son, Jack, decided to plant a south facing vineyard four miles from the North Norfolk coast on free-draining flinty and chalk soils. Jack’s sisters, Laura and Samantha (pictured), have since joined the business, Laura also undertaking a vine-growing course at Plumpton College.
Winemaker is Mathew Abbey, who joined in 2019 as the Burn Valley winery opened. A local who had moved to New Zealand, Mathew spent over 10 years working in Marlborough, Central Otago & Hawkes Bay. For 2024 Burn Valley has launched a record number of ten new cuvées, a mix of hybrid varieties including Bacchus, Schonburger and Solaris, as well as Chardonnay and sparkling wines.
I was sent a selection of their still wines from the current crop for review.
The Wines
(2024) You know, I really, really enjoyed this pristine, energisng white from the humble Solaris (a hybrid whose parents are Merzling and the romantically named Gm 6493 from Germany). Last time I tasted one was from Denmark, the variety well suited to cool conditions. Here Norfolk, it was fermented in stainless steel to produce a dazzling, sharply focused wine that' all about zing and zest, citrus and crunchy apple, hints of gooseberry and grapefruit, and a long, running mountain stream freshness.
(2024) Schonburger or Schöenburger is a cross-bred variety of German origin, one parent being Pinot Noir though there is Muscat in the lineage too, which gives this a distinct floral and musk character. Some skin contact was used, the wine fermented in stainless steel. On the palate it has a sweetness, but a grip and grapefruity decisiveness to the acidity, perhaps the skin contact adding a bit of lemon rind character. Another really flavourful wine from Burn Valley.
(2024) Fermented and aged in stainless steel, this is a pale and featherweight Bacchus with only 10.5% abv. Aromas are distinctly floral, with a little elderflower, Sauvignon-like edge. On the palate this is cool and clear, lightweight in terms of flavours too. There's a faintly herbal, even medicinal note, and this doesn't quite have the appeal of Burn Valley's other cuvées for me.
(2024) A blend of two hybrids, Rondo and Regent, this is barrel-aged and like the varietal Regent in this range, weighs in with only 11.5% alcohol. Vibrant and dark, there quite a coffee-ish, earthy character here, a little darker than the Regent for sure. In the mouth it has some of the same Indian ink dryness, again savoury and spicy with some bitter cherry over the soft oak background. Maybe not quite the vibrancy of the Regent, but very drinkable.
(2024) Regent is yet another German-bred hybrid, that includes Chambourcin and Müller-Thurgau in its parentage. This was fermented on skins for three weeks and aged 12 months in new and used American and Hungarian oak barrels. It's a very striking, deep and vivid purple wine, the nose fruity with pastille-like aromas over some spice. In the mouth it is dry and light- to medium-bodied with just 11.5% alcohol, inky and savoury, the fruit and oak mesh to give a dry, cinnamon-touched finish with balanced acidity.
Interesting write up Tom and the lower alcohol levels make them quite attractive and sounds like the whites would make decent aperitif wines. I wonder though if the 11.5% reds mean they lack a bit of body and would struggle with a hearty winter meal? The big question is though, are they worth the money? Especially considering there are some very decent Bourgogne Blancs (and other white wines) that you can get for a similar price as these whites
Thanks for the comments Paul. I think you are right that the reds at 11.5% abv are probably not the best choice for hearty, very meaty winter dishes (though they wouldn’t be awful either). They are dry and tasty, but perhaps think of matches that would cru Beaujolais more? Value for money is always difficult, and some would argue that there are cheaper options to Bourgogne Blanc 🙂 but I thought quality was very good indeed.