Luxury Devon country house hotel Lympstone Manor is celebrating its 7th birthday with the launch of the Lympstone Manor Estate Chardonnay, Gin and a Marc.
The Lympstone Manor’s vineyard is still relatively young, having only being planted in 2018 and it’s the passion of Chef Patron and owner Michael Caines as he gets closer to achieving his dream of producing high-quality English wine.
The new Lympstone Manor Estate Chardonnay named “Edwards”, is a tribute to Lympstone Manor’s longstanding Director of Operations and Vineyard Manager, Steve Edwards, who has worked with Caines for over 30 years. The Chardonnay’s launch marks the first white wine to be produced from the hotel’s own vineyard and will sit alongside its multi award-winning wines that consist of the 2020 Triassic Pinot Noir, launched in 2022, and the 2020 Classic Cuvée and Isabeau Rosé, launched last year.
Working with Devon’s Lyme Bay Winery, the barrel aged wine is produced from Chardonnay grapes that have been fermented in old French oak barrels that give subtle notes of almond, toasted oak and some spice. The Chardonnay is a small and exclusive production of just 549 bottles, individually numbered. The intention is to allow the Chardonnay to age for a year before releasing it onto the market, however a small allocation will be made available towards the end of the year just in time for Christmas.
The new gin is named “The Essence of the Spirit of Lympstone” and is the first spirit to be produced by the Lympstone Manor Estate in partnership with Master Distiller Leigh Kearle. The gin is flavoured with a selection of botanicals including Juniper, Oris Root, Coriander, Angelica Root, Lemon thyme and Lemon Verbena so as to make a classic style London Dry Gin.
Also distilled in partnership with Leigh Kearle is “The Spirit of Lympstone” Eau de Vie de Marc, which uses the grape pomace after pressing the Estate’s Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay, resulting in an aromatic spirit with floral and cinnamon notes and cherry fruit flavours.
Lympstone Manor Chef Patron, Michael Caines MBE says:
“It is wonderful to mark this 7-year milestone with three additions to the Lympstone Manor estate Collection. The chardonnay is a truly exceptional wine, inspired by the confidence that we gained when we made our first classic cuvée which included barrel fermented chardonnay. I knew then that a still chardonnay wine of outstanding quality was possible, but it took until the 2022 harvest for us to achieve that ambition. The wine itself is a testament to the outstanding year where we had an exceptional crop. As always Lyme Bay Wine Maker Sarah Massey did an incredible job in making the wine with a wonderful balance between the fruit and Oak to leave you with a wine that I am sure in time could be award winning.
“There was a chance meeting with Master distiller Leigh Kerle that enabled Steve Edwards and I to peruse my ambition of making an Eau de Vie de Marc Spirit and from this a Gin. This has enabled us to use all and every element of the wine making process from the Cuvée for our Classic Cuvée, the taille for our field blended rosé and now the pomace which is then distilled for our Spirit of Lympstone and from there we distilled it into the Gin.
“I am extremely proud of the Gin which blends the citrus notes of the lemon verbena and the savoury notes of the lemon thyme to create a truly unique and exceptional gin and Marc.”
Lyme Bay Winery Winemaker Sarah Massey adds:
“The 2022 summer was one of the hottest on record, providing more than double the average sunshine hours resulting in incredible sugar and phenolic ripeness. Having seen the quality of the Lympstone Manor Estate fruit, we knew we wanted to do something special, and the Chardonnay seemed like the ideal candidate. With Steve Edwards at the helm managing the vineyard, the chardonnay fruit came in whistle clean, and we set aside a parcel for an exclusive barrel fermented still wine. Having undergone full malolactic fermentation, and extended barrel aging for 11 months with regular bátonnage the wine shows great complexity and depth at a young age and will have great aging potential. As always, we at Lyme Bay Winery are thrilled to be working alongside Lympstone Manor and feel privileged to be a part of their winemaking journey.”
If you happen to be visiting Lympstone Manor this summer you will be able to enjoy the Triassic Pinot Noir, Classic Cuvée, Isabeau Rosé and Gin and Eau de Vie de Marc in the hotel’s restaurant as well as the Pool House Restaurant & Bar.
If you’d like to try any of the estate’s wines in the comfort of your own home, then you can purchase them on Lympstone Manor Estate Wine website: www.lympstonemanorestate.co.uk.
And if you are in the area and fancy visiting the vineyard itself, tours are available every Wednesday between May and September and include a vineyard visit, tasting and a delicious four-course lunch. For more information please visit: www.lympstonemanor.co.uk.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of OMOTG Travel & Lifestyle Magazine, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of Lympstone Manor
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