Our Vineyard

Five hectares of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in Hampshire.

Our site defines our wines.  The small, single-block vineyard, at the heart of Preston Farm, sits on a south-facing chalk slope and produces low yields of beautifully concentrated fruit. 

The Sainsbury family home looks out across what is now our vineyard. The plot had only ever been used for grazing, the soil not fertile enough for other crops. But the combination of its poor soils and its southerly exposition, making the most of the sun’s warmth, made it perfect for vines.

Planted in 2012 and 2013, the vineyard runs between 115 and 135 metres above sea-level. The topsoil is silty clay-loam and very shallow – with a maximum 20cm, and much less as you move downslope. Beneath this, however, lies solid chalk – and it is this bedrock which is a defining feature of the site, holding and releasing water to the vines throughout the growing season.

The five hectares of vines are split between 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier – a mixture of Burgundy and Champagne clones selected for the soil, climate and their quality potential. The vineyard is double-guyot pruned, balancing vigour and maturity, and the yields are consciously low, with the Chardonnay, for example, rarely producing more than 5 tonnes per hectare. This is in part due to the clonal selection and the poor soils, but also careful management of the vines, focusing on quality over quantity.

At the foot of the vineyard flows the brook from which we take our name, a chalk stream that is home to the rare native, white-clawed crayfish – both of which you’ll see on our labels. Chalk streams are one of the rarest habitats on earth, the chalk acting as a filter to deliver particularly pure water flows. Hampshire is especially known for its chalk streams – the most famous of which are the Itchen or Test, renowned among fly-fishermen for their high-quality trout. This delicate ecosystem is something we are proud to be part of, as well as protect and preserve through the way we farm. In fact, we donate 50p for every bottle sold online to a program to protect the white-clawed crayfish, run by the HIWWT.

“Our wines reflect our place. The chalky soils impart a distinctive minerality, and our regenerative practices ensure the vines are balanced and healthy.”    

Samuel Philippot, Vineyard Manager