December 29, 2017

NYETIMBER Blanc de Blancs 2010

(England) $79

Imagine a sword, dazzling sharp, coated in swirls of whipped cream. That’s English sparkling wine at its best—icicles of beautiful acidity sheathed in pillows of richness. This past fall, I spent a week visiting the top producers of English sparkling wine and came away stunned by the quality. Yes the south of England has the same chalky soils as Champagne, but nothing could have prepared me for such mesmerizing textures and delicious flavors. Nyetimber, one of the first English sparkling firms, is among the best. (12% abv)

95 points KM

Available at Wine.com

The word “BIN” in a wine name—as in Penfolds BIN 707—is the winemaker’s shorthand for “Bottle It Now.”

Answer: False.

The word BIN in a wine name (famously used on so many Penfolds’ wines), stands for “Batch Identification Number” and is a way that Penfolds winemakers keep track of winemaking trials. Penfolds in particular has dozens of wines named Bin This or That. There’s Bin 95 (Grange), Bin 28 (Kalimna Shiraz), Bin 389 (a Cabernet Shiraz Blend) ), Bin 707 (an expensive Cabernet), and scores of other “Bins!” Bin 707 by the way was named after the 707 aircraft on the occassion of Boeing’s 100^th anniversary.

Thiol

The compound found in the skins of some sauvignon blanc grapes that leads to passion fruit aromas in the wine. Thiols are particularly prevalent in New Zealand sauvignon blancs.

NYETIMBER Blanc de Blancs 2010

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