Gardner Street is the historic name of Henners’ home village of Herstmonceux. The old name captures the hand-harvested, artisanal craft of tending vines & wines down English country lanes. A modern marriage of fresh, floral Bacchus with a little barrel-fermented Chardonnay.
In 2020 they harvested Bacchus from partner growers across Sussex and Kent, selecting harvest dates when sugars and acidity were in perfect balance. Following a warm, dry summer natural sugar levels were high and the fruit profile in the grapes was exceptional. We fermented the parcels separately to allow the expression of their respective sites to shine through (Wealden Clay vineyards in Sussex and a chalk-based vineyard in Kent). We selected 20% of the fruit to ferment in 5th fill French barrels for texture. The wines did not go through malolactic fermentation in order to retain the aromatic, floral and tropical notes characteristic of English Bacchus. The marriage of the different parcels, along with a small portion of barrel-fermented Chardonnay from our Henners vineyard gives the wine additional texture and palate weight.
Gardner Street has the classic floral, elderflower note we have come to know of contemporary Bacchus married with a touch of stone fruit from the Chardonnay. Henners Gardner Street Classic Bacchus Chardonnay's palate there's an abundance of red apple fruit, a touch of wild fennel with the barrel fermented Chardonnay giving mid palate weight and structure to a wine that ultimately finishes with a brisk, present acidity.
Would be super with pork tenderloins in cider with a generous helping of mash and buttery veg, a veggie lasagne or a hake in butter sauce with capers.
Country: England
Region: East Sussex
Grapes: Bacchus 75%, Chardonnay 25%
ABV: 12%
Volume: 75cl
Vintage: 2022
Suitable for Vegetarians: Yes
Suitable for Vegans: Yes
Henners Gardner Street Classic, 2020: “A Bacchus-driven white blend with grass, minerals, fresh star fruit and apple on the nose and the palate. Partial fermentation in 6-year-old oak barrels helped to soften the sharp mineral acidity, leaving juicy green apple and minty herbs on the palate. The 15% barrel-fermented Chardonnay in the blend gave the wine a touch of weight and honeydew melon roundness. ‘Gardner Street’ is the historic name of Henners’ home village of Herstmonceux.” 89 Points, Decanter Magazine (15th September 2021)
The Wine Merchant Magazine (June ’22):
“Bacchus and Chardonnay can both stake a claim to be England’s most promising white variety in still wines. Here they prove they can work together, even if it’s the floral, herbaceous Kentish Bacchus that dominates the blend, with barrel-fermented Sussex Chardonnay providing the bass notes. Mellow and moreish.”