Premium English sparkling wine producer Roebuck Estates has expanded its Classic Collection with the launch of its first Blanc de Blancs, a vintage 2019 sparkling wine made entirely from Chardonnay and aged on its lees for more than five years before release.
Produced from fruit grown in West Sussex and bottled in June 2020 before being disgorged in August 2025, the new release joins the estate’s Blanc de Noirs 2018. Both wines are produced only in vintages that the winemaking team considers exceptional.
The launch comes during a period of strong growth for the business. Roebuck Estates reports annual growth of 60% between 2022 and 2024, rising to 80% in 2025, reflecting increasing demand for premium English sparkling wine in both domestic and international markets.
“Our 2019 Blanc de Blancs holds a special place for us – this is our debut release of a Blanc de Blancs at Roebuck, and we wanted to get it just right,” said Jake Wicks, Head of Viticulture at Roebuck Estates.
“Since bottling this special wine, we have tasted it every year, carefully tracking its evolution and waiting for the moment it truly came into its own. Our approach has always been the same: we will not release a wine until we are certain it has reached its full potential.
“The 2019 vintage needed time – and we gave it that time. Five years on the lees isn’t a number we arrived at by formula; it’s simply how long this wine needed to become what it is.”
According to the company, its growth has been driven by a focus on producing vintage-led sparkling wines that are released only when the team believes they have reached their optimum drinking window.
“The growth we’ve seen over the past few years reflects a real shift in how English sparkling wine is being received – both here and internationally,” said Michael Kennedy, CEO at Roebuck Estates. “But, for us, commercial momentum has always been a consequence of doing things properly. Every wine we release is a statement of what we believe great English sparkling wine can be: unhurried, expressive, and made with absolute conviction.
“The 2019 Blanc de Blancs is a perfect example of that – a wine we’ve waited more than five years to share, because that is precisely what it required.”
The wine was produced from grapes grown at Roebuck Estates’ Roebuck and Little Brockhurst vineyards near Petworth, West Sussex. The 2019 growing season benefited from favourable conditions, including one of the warmest Februaries on record in the South East, followed by a successful flowering period and steady fruit development throughout the summer. Cooler temperatures later in the season helped preserve acidity while encouraging flavour complexity.
In the winery, whole bunch pressed fruit was partially fermented in old Burgundian oak barrels, with around 6% of the blend spending seven months in barrel. Malolactic fermentation was used selectively across individual vineyard parcels, with approximately 62% of the final blend undergoing MLF. Dosage was kept low at 4g/l to retain freshness and varietal purity.
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