I am always late. Late to harvest, late to disgorge, and late to release. And our wines drink all the better for it. Though every now and then, I wish I'd held onto a bottle for just a little longer. While tasting – ah heck, who am I kidding? – drinking Rosé Ex Machina 2018 with Jancis Robinson over lunch at the winery last year, we both scribbled a few words in our notebooks: "Deliciously fruity and seductive with perfect fruit/acid balance from this super-ripe vintage. 17.5 points," wrote Jancis. High praise from the notoriously tough scorer. My own note was less eloquent: "Holy mother... Hit the brakes. LATE RELEASE?!" Here was masses of juicy, mouth-coating red fruit, a frothy mousse, perfect pin-prick bubbles, and a long, savoury finish. Unfalteringly delicious, I decided there and then to hold back the remaining undisgorged bottles in our cellar, giving the wine a full 80 months on lees. Cellar-aged sparkling rosé is a rarity, especially in England, but the exceptional 2018 vintage produced a wine built to go the distance. That year, we made the risky decision to "green harvest", allowing the vines to focus their energies on producing impeccable fruit. And so they did. Coming entirely from Coldharbour Vineyard – a single site planted in 2005 in Pulborough, West Sussex – Rosé Ex Machina 2018 comprises 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, and 10% Chardonnay with the addition of 20% red wine from Pinot Noir to give it its beautiful colour and depth.
