Kent

The county of my birth and still home to my progeny and grand-progeny, if such an expression may be used. It was just under a week ago that we made a day trip back to the old county to meet No1 Grandson in person for the first time (socially distanced and in a public place, of course). A lovely day and a cause for celebration. He is a beautiful baby and with his parents is part of a lovely young family. Very proud.

Good things come from Kent, or so I have always believed. I have often referred to Kent as 'God's own Garden', which I consider to be a more appropriate soubriquet than merely 'Garden of England'. In either case it is a splendid garden and it in are grown all manner of excellent fruits. Apples have, of course, always been grown there and the county has long been associated with the production of hops. Are they a fruit? So that's beer and cider taken care of. As the south of England becomes warmer (not getting into the arguments about why that is) and grape growing technology and expertise continues to develop, Kent has also become a noteworthy region for the production of wines grapes.

The soils in the Weald of Kent and especially those of the North and South Downs that border it are similar to those of Northern France. We all know what come from Northern France. Yes, ok, but I wasn't thinking about cheese on this particular occasion. I was thinking about excellent Chardonnay based wines, like Chablis, Champagne and, er.....

Week K (2021) Balfour Chardonnay Ortega, Hush Heath Estate 2019. M&S £13

At least, I think it's 2019. It doesn't actually say so on the bottle as far as I can see, but neither can I find any reference to it being a non-vintage blend.

Hush Heath Estate lies near Staplehurst, famous for being the third stop beyond Tonbridge on the mainline to Dover which can be inconveniently visited after a night out in London during one's professional youth, and also one stop short of Headcorn where in 1981 I established a dinner table claim for having taken off in an aeroplane six times in my life, but having only landed in one twice. 

The estate itself sits just north of the High Weald AONB on the clay soils lying between the abovementioned Downs and has been producing wine for two decades, collecting quite a few awards along the way. Much of it is sparkling, using the classic Champagne grapes, but this week's selection is a still wine. It is a blend of Chardonnay and Ortega, a grape I have not previously encountered. Ortega is a crossing of German origin between Muller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe, both themselves crossings of other varieties including Riesling and Gewurtztraminer so it should perhaps offer some aromatic possibilities. 

On first tasting I was impressed by the intensity of flavour and by the ripeness of the fruit. It had a full body and a slightly spicy finish. I liked it. When I went back for a second glass the sweetness seemed to have increased and I was less sure about the balance, however, I manfully pressed on and decided that there was something akin to the flavours of Muscat that I rather liked. Leaving it alone for twenty-four hours or more I found on my return that it went down rather nicely with an episode or two of The Disappearance, a troubling French whodunnit which kept us guessing (correctly) until the final few minutes. The One tasted it and reacted as if she had just had an unexpected sherbet lemon, which surprised me as I hadn't noticed particularly high acidity.

All in, I think this is an interesting wine and a good example of the full-flavoured whites that are now capable of being produced in the South of England. Would I buy again? Probably.