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Rathfinny Wine Estate

A South Downs estate in East Sussex making dry, traditional-method sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

The producer

Mark and Sarah Driver established Rathfinny in 2010 on a working arable farm near Alfriston. The estate is now a single 93-hectare vineyard of 385,000 vines on a south-facing chalk slope, three miles from the English Channel. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier supply the fruit for vintage-labelled Sussex sparkling wines, connecting one large coastal site directly to the bottle.

Hand-picked fruit is whole-bunch pressed, then the wines mature on lees and in bottle before low dosage keeps the finish dry. The Chardonnay-based 2019 Blanc de Blancs brings citrus, lively acidity, fine mousse and creamy lees texture; the Pinot Noir-led 2020 Blanc de Noirs carries more fruit, body and grip.

Known for

Dry, traditional-method Sussex sparkling wine from a single chalk-soil estate.

Notable facts

The story

From cereal farm to first sparkling release

Mark and Sarah Driver established Rathfinny in 2010 after buying a former cereal farm in East Sussex. In 2012, the first vines were planted on the south-facing South Downs slope, beginning the conversion of the farm into one continuous vineyard. Rathfinny now describes that site as 93 hectares with 385,000 vines, planted mainly to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Six years after the planting, the estate released its first Sussex Sparkling wine in 2018. Where cereal crops had grown, hand-picked grapes now go through whole-bunch pressing, bottle fermentation and lees ageing before release.

From the atlas

Rathfinny Wine Estate

At A Glance

The Producer

Rathfinny Wine Estate began in 2010, when Mark and Sarah Driver established the estate on a working arable farm near Alfriston. It is now one continuous vineyard of 385,000 vines across 93 hectares, with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier planted for bottle-fermented sparkling wine. That single-site scale matters in the finished bottles: rather than assembling fruit from several addresses, Rathfinny’s Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs draw their fruit from one chalky South Downs slope.

Place

Alfriston sits in East Sussex, on the South Downs and three miles from the English Channel. Rathfinny plants its south-facing land mainly to the three grapes associated with traditional sparkling wine: Chardonnay supplies citrus, acidity and a leaner line through the palate; Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier bring fruit, body and structure. The coastal position and southern exposure frame a sparkling-wine programme in which ripeness must still carry enough acidity for mousse and bottle ageing.

Soil And Site

The vineyard runs across a south-facing chalk-soil slope. Chalk is the physical thread between the ground and Rathfinny’s dry sparkling style: it supports grapes intended for wines where citrus fruit, acidity and a chalky finish can sit alongside lees-derived texture. With all 93 hectares contained in one site, the estate can follow the same slope from hand harvest through pressing and into its vintage-labelled bottles.

Story

Rathfinny’s estate story is unusually direct: a former cereal farm was replanted as vineyard, then developed into a substantial single-site sparkling-wine estate. The Drivers planted the first vines in 2012 and released their first Sussex Sparkling wine in 2018. In 2023, Rathfinny achieved B Corp status; alongside the vineyard’s 385,000 vines, it marks an estate built as a long-term farming operation whose output is dry, bottle-aged sparkling wine rather than arable crops.

Vineyards And Cellar

Harvest takes three to four weeks and brings about 200 local pickers into the vineyard, with all fruit picked by hand. That approach feeds whole-bunch pressing, a gentle first cellar step for sparkling-wine base wines, before fermentation, maturation on lees and further ageing in bottle. The resulting mousse and lees texture are balanced by low dosage, so sweetness does not cover the Chardonnay citrus or the Pinot-led fruit.

Rathfinny makes its sparkling wines by the traditional method, with the second fermentation taking place in bottle. Lees contact builds texture and savoury depth after fermentation, while low dosage leaves the finish dry. In this cellar framework, Chardonnay can hold a bright acidic line and Pinot Noir can show broader fruit and weight without turning either wine sweet.

Wines

The range is most clearly understood through two vintage bottles. The 2019 Blanc de Blancs is Chardonnay-based, with 36 months on lees documented for that release; it is the brighter, citrus-led side of Rathfinny, shaped by lively acidity, fine mousse and creamy lees texture. Its dry finish keeps the fruit in a firm, refreshing frame.

The 2020 Blanc de Noirs moves toward Pinot Noir-led character. It remains a traditional-method sparkling wine with low dosage and lees ageing, but the grape emphasis shifts the palate toward more fruit, body and structural weight than the Chardonnay-based bottling. Together, the two wines show how the same chalk slope can produce a citrus-and-mousse expression and a more Pinot-driven, broader-bodied expression.

In The Glass

Expect the Blanc de Blancs to open with citrus fruit and lees-derived aromas, then move into a fine mousse and creamy texture. Chardonnay’s acidity gives the palate lift, while bottle ageing adds savoury breadth; the finish is dry, with fruit and chalky character held together rather than softened by dosage.

The Blanc de Noirs brings a different shape: Pinot Noir-led fruit arrives first, followed by a fuller mid-palate and more grip. Lees ageing still supplies texture and mousse, but the wine’s weight comes from the darker-fruited grape material. Low dosage leaves a dry finish, so the fruit remains clear rather than confectionary.

A Bottle To Understand It

Rathfinny 2019 Blanc de Blancs is the first bottle to open. It is a Chardonnay-based, vintage Sussex sparkling wine, aged for 36 months on lees and finished with low dosage. Citrus fruit, fine mousse and bright acidity give it a direct opening; lees ageing then broadens the texture before a dry, chalk-influenced finish. It puts the estate’s south-facing chalk slope, traditional-method cellar work and preference for dry sparkling wine in one glass.

Anecdote

Mark and Sarah Driver established Rathfinny in 2010 after buying a former cereal farm in East Sussex. Two years later, in 2012, the first vines went into the ground on the south-facing South Downs slope. The planting was not a small experimental block: the farm became a single vineyard that Rathfinny now describes as 93 hectares and 385,000 vines. The estate’s first Sussex Sparkling wine was released in 2018, six years after those first vines were planted. The sequence is still visible in the bottles: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier now grow where cereal crops once stood, then move through whole-bunch pressing, bottle fermentation and lees ageing.

Final Word

Rathfinny is a large but coherent English sparkling-wine estate: one chalky South Downs site, three principal grapes, hand-picked fruit and low-dosage, bottle-aged wines. Choose Blanc de Blancs for citrus, mousse and acidity; choose Blanc de Noirs when Pinot fruit and extra body are wanted.

Sources

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