A Cool Climate Sparkling Jewel: Pinot Noir at Rathfinny

Few people know Rathfinny’s unique terroir like Stanley Brazil. Over the past six years, our Vineyard Technician has spent his time carefully analysing our single-site Vineyard, to gather information to help us grow exceptional fruit – including Pinot Noir.

To celebrate the release of our Blanc de Noirs 2020 in January 2025, Stanley takes a closer look at the extraordinary Pinot Noir variety and why our East Sussex home is the ideal place to grow this grape to make coveted English Sparkling Wine.

THE PRESTIGE OF PINOT NOIR

Pinot Noir is a remarkable grape variety, holding high status among sommeliers and wine enthusiasts worldwide. Much of its prestige stems from its origins in the Côte d’Or and the legendary still reds of Burgundy. Beyond its renowned use in still wine production, Pinot Noir plays a vital role in crafting exceptional sparkling wines, such as our Sussex Sparkling.

Pinot Noir in sparkling wine adds a red-fruit opulence, giving the wine a bit more body and texture. Pinot Noir-led sparkling wines – like Rathfinny’s – are regarded as gastronomic styles, able to be matched with an array of flavours and cuisine.

RATHFINNY’S PASSION FOR PINOT NOIR

At Rathfinny Wine Estate, Pinot Noir is more than a grape—it’s central to our identity. As our most widely planted variety, it makes up 43% of our vines and is a cornerstone of our house style Classic Cuvée, plus our signature Blanc de Noirs and sparkling Rosé.

However, cultivating Pinot Noir is no easy feat. Its elusive nature challenges growers, particularly in cool climates like ours, where the long growing season (April to October) and annual variation demand precision and care. Yet, these challenges make the final product even more rewarding.

Bunch of Pinot Noir fruit in hand with pair of secateurs

THE UNIQUE TERROIR OF RATHFINNY

All our Pinot Noir vines are planted on south-facing chalk downland. The slopes, angled between 4-9 degrees, ensure excellent drainage, preventing soil water-logging. Chalk’s porous structure enhances this by efficiently retaining and releasing water.

Our trellised grapevines run down the slopes from north to south, maximising sunlight exposure and reducing humidity through natural wind flow. A regular coastal breeze sweeps through the Vineyard as we are less than three miles from the sea, which keeps the fruit clean and gives our wines a natural minerality.

THE PERFECT CLIMATE FOR PINOT NOIR

As we approach the ripening period (September to October), the shorter days and cooler temperatures become pivotal. These conditions slow sugar accumulation, allowing the tannins in grape skins and seeds to achieve optimal phenolic ripeness. This process enriches the grapes with complex flavours, providing our winemakers with exceptional fruit to craft our wines.

EXPLORING THE DIVERSITY OF PINOT NOIR CLONES

At Rathfinny, we cultivate 58 parcels of Pinot Noir, featuring 11 different clones—13 if you include the early-ripening Pinot Noir Précoce clones. Each clone is a vine cutting selected and propagated for its unique traits, adding depth and diversity to our wines.

French Pinot Noir Clones

Many of our clones, including 115, 386, 459, 521, 667, and 777, originate in France. Certified by AgriMer France, these clones hail from Burgundy and Champagne. Clone 386, widely planted on our Estate, represents about 20% of our Pinot Noir plantings. Burgundy clones, when exceptionally ripe, can even produce still red wines, showcasing their versatility.

German Pinot Noir Clones

We also grow several German ‘GM’ clones, such as GM20-13, developed in Geisenheim. Notably, GM20-13 exhibits millerandage, or ‘shot’ berries, where grape bunches have berries of varying sizes. This phenomenon creates a higher skin-to-pulp ratio, intensifying the fruit’s character.

WINEMAKING WITH PRECISION AND PASSION

The immense variability in Pinot Noir clones across our Estate gives our winemakers a rich palette to work with. The elusive nature of this variety, coupled with the challenges of cool climate viticulture, makes every bottle a testament to our dedication and craftsmanship.

Our expert tasting committee meticulously blend the best parcels of wine to create a final base wine that epitomises the vintage, before the wine undergoes traditional method fermentation according to stringent Sussex PDO standards. The wines are patiently matured on lees for a minimum of 36 months.

Discover our Pinot Noir wines

Coming soon

2020 Blanc de Noirs

Our signature sparkling. Opulent and gastronomic, with complex red-fruit character.

2019 Rosé

Our Pinot Noir-driven Sparkling Rosé.

Discover our Rosé 2019

Growing Pinot Noir at Rathfinny

THE PRESTIGE OF PINOT NOIR

RATHFINNY’S PASSION FOR PINOT NOIR

THE UNIQUE TERROIR OF RATHFINNY

THE PERFECT CLIMATE FOR PINOT NOIR