Chilworth Manor, Classic Cuvée’ 'The Bishop', 2018
Chilworth Manor, Classic Cuvée’ 'The Bishop', 2018
- 75cl
- 12%
- White Sparkling
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
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Optimal drinking window: 2026 - 2032
Chilworth Manor sits quietly in the Surrey Hills, one of those English sparkling producers getting on with the job rather than shouting about it, and 'The Bishop' is their Classic Cuvée at its most expressive. Made in the image of Champagne but with its own cooler, chalkier accent, this blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier spends long enough on its lees to pick up that familiar brioche richness without losing the nervy, orchard-fruit freshness that marks out good English fizz.
2018 was a generous English vintage, warm and dry, which shows in the ripeness here: baked apple and a touch of brioche, framed by proper chalk-soil tension and a bracing citrus finish.
Right now the baked apple and citrus fruit lead, fresh and primary. Over the next two to three years expect the brioche and toasted notes to deepen, with the chalky minerality becoming more pronounced as the fruit settles back. By the early 2030s this should show a rounder, more savoury character, less about the fruit and more about texture and tension.
Tasting Notes
AppearancePale gold with a fine, persistent bead.
NoseBaked apple and brioche, with a lick of lemon curd and a chalky undertone.
PalateCreamy mousse carries orchard fruit and toasted nuts, cut through by taut, chalky acidity.
FinishLong, saline, and citrus-edged.
Overall impressionA confident, Champagne-leaning fizz with proper English bite.
Food Pairings
Around the Surrey Hills this would happily sit alongside a plate of local soft cheese and charcuterie, or the Sunday staple of smoked trout from the chalk streams nearby. It's a natural match for fish and chips, oddly enough, the acidity cutting through the batter just as Champagne does. We'd also reach for it with a proper English picnic: scotch eggs, pork pies, and good cheddar.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at 8-10°C, no decanting required, straight from an ice bucket if the sun's out. A tulip glass does it more justice than a flute, giving the brioche and apple notes room to show themselves.
The vineyards sit on the chalk and greensand of the North Downs, an extension of the same seam that runs under Champagne, giving the wine its mineral backbone. Surrey's cool, marginal climate forces slow ripening, preserving the acidity that English sparkling wine trades on. South-facing slopes help coax ripeness from a site that would otherwise struggle in leaner years.
There's no formal appellation system for English sparkling wine yet, though 'Surrey Hills' as a descriptor points to a specific pocket of chalk downland increasingly recognised for quality fizz. It sits alongside Hampshire, Kent and Sussex as one of the southern English counties building a reputation on Champagne-method wines grown on similar chalk. The style leans towards racier, more citrus-driven wines than its continental cousin, a product of the UK's cooler, wetter climate.
2018 is the vintage every English grower talks about with a slightly misty look in their eye, and Surrey Hills was no exception. A mild, largely frost-free spring got vines off to an even start, followed by a long, dry, properly hot summer that let fruit ripen fully rather than just scraping over the line. For a region that normally spends its growing season fretting about rain, rot, and ever-rising acidity, it was a gift: a stretched run of sunshine through to a harvest that came early and in generous quantities, with none of the usual triage in the vineyard.
The results speak for themselves. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir came in riper and more consistent than growers had seen in years, giving sparkling wines real depth of fruit alongside the chalky, linear backbone that makes Surrey Hills fizz so distinctive, while still wines showed a fullness that's rare for the region. Quality across the board was high, and quantity unusually so, which allowed producers to be selective in a way 2017 or 2019 simply didn't permit. Sparkling wines from 2018 are only just beginning to show their range after extended time on lees, and we'd say they're drinking beautifully now through to 2030, with the best examples still on the way up.
FAQs
What does this wine taste like?
Baked apple and brioche with a chalky, citrus-driven finish, somewhere between classic Champagne and a leaner English style.
When should I drink this wine?
It's drinking well now and will continue to develop nicely until 2032.
What food should I pair it with?
Try it with smoked fish, soft cheeses, or classic British picnic fare like pork pies and scotch eggs.
How should I serve it?
Chilled to 8-10°C in a tulip glass, no decanting needed.
Is this worth cellaring?
It's not built for decades in the cellar, but a few more years will bring out richer, toastier complexity.
Where is this wine from?
The Surrey Hills, on chalk soils geologically linked to Champagne, giving the wine its mineral edge.
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