Who makes it
Gusbourne Estate sits at Appledore in the Kentish Weald, about fifteen miles inland from the English Channel. Andrew Weeber bought the 200-hectare agricultural property in 2004 and planted the first sparkling wine vines that same year. He chose Burgundian clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, the same genetic material that underpins Champagne's classic grapes, and built the cellar operation around traditional-method production. Chief Winemaker Charlie Holland joined and shaped the house approach toward long lees ageing and measured dosage.
The estate now farms 61 hectares in Kent and a further 32 hectares in West Sussex. Three wines make up the range: Brut Reserve, Blanc de Blancs, and Rosé Brut. All grapes are hand-picked by the estate team and whole-bunch pressed.
Where it grows
Kent's position in southeast England gives Gusbourne a cool, maritime growing climate with enough sunlight hours across the long season to ripen Chardonnay and Pinot Noir without the heat that would push them toward tropical fruit characters. The Kentish Weald soils combine chalk and clay, which hold moisture through dry summers and drain fast enough after rain to avoid waterlogging. That combination of slow, even ripening and free-draining ground keeps acidity high and fruit flavours focused.
The West Sussex parcels add a second growing environment, giving the winemaking team blending options across slightly different soil profiles and aspects.
How it is made
The cellar
All fruit comes from estate-owned vineyards in Kent and West Sussex, farmed using Burgundian clones chosen for their behaviour in cool climates rather than yield. Hand-picking preserves whole-berry condition before pressing, and whole-bunch pressing without destemming limits phenolic extraction, keeping the base wines pale, clean, and high in natural acidity.
In the cellar, lees ageing on a Champagne-method timeline is the defining choice. The Brut Reserve sits on lees for a minimum of 26 months; the Blanc de Blancs spends at least 39 months in contact with spent yeast. That extended contact adds the toasty, biscuity complexity layered beneath the estate's characteristic citrus and mineral character, while leaving the wine's acid line intact. Dosage is kept measured: 8 g/l on the Brut Reserve, 7.5 g/l on the Blanc de Blancs, low enough that the wine's acidity and fruit stay in front rather than being softened by sweetness.
What they make
The three-wine range moves from approachable to austere in a clear arc.
The Brut Reserve (2021 vintage) blends 71% Chardonnay with 18% Pinot Noir and 11% Pinot Meunier. At 26 months on lees and 8 g/l dosage, it is the most open and fruit-forward of the range: pear, red apple, and citrus across the mid-palate, with mineral clarity on the finish.
Wines to try
First bottle
Start with the Blanc de Blancs 2019. It is 100% Chardonnay grown on Kent chalk and clay, pressed in whole bunches, and aged on lees for a minimum of 39 months at a dosage of 7.5 g/l. The wine opens with green apple and citrus, gains biscuit and hazelnut complexity through the mid-palate, and finishes long with baked apple and mineral chalk. The acidity at pH 2.96 gives the wine a firm, clean line that holds all of that richness in check. No other bottle in the range shows more clearly what the Burgundian-clone decision means on this soil, or how Gusbourne's long lees ageing operates in practice.