Lympstone Manor celebrates its seventh birthday with the launch of the Lympstone Manor Estate Chardonnay, Gin and a Marc.

Planted in 2018, the Lympstone Manor vineyard is the passion of chef patron and owner Michael Caines, and the trio of new launches marks a step forward to his dream of producing high-quality English wine.

Named 'Edwards' the Lympstone Manor Estate Chardonnay is a tribute to Lympstone Manor’s longstanding director of operations and vineyard manager, Steve Edwards, who has worked alongside Caines for over 30 years. 

The launch of the Chardonnay marks the first white wine to be produced from the hotel’s own vineyard and will sit alongside its multi-award-winning wines, 2020 Triassic Pinot Noir, launched in 2022, and the 2020 Classic Cuvée and Isabeau Rosé, both launched in 2023. 

In partnership with Devon’s Lyme Bay Winery, the barrel-aged wine is produced from Chardonnay grapes that have been fermented in old French oak barrels delivering a wine with subtle notes of almond, toasted oak, and some spice. 

The Chardonnay represents a small and exclusive production of 549 bottle, each one individually numbered.

The Gin, named “The Essence of the Spirit of Lympstone”, is the first spirit to be produced by the Lympstone Manor Estate. Produced in partnership with Master Distiller Leigh Kearle, the gin is flavoured with a selection of botanicals including Juniper, Oris Root, Coriander, Angelica Root, Lemon thyme and Lemon Verbena to make a classic style London Dry Gin. “The Spirit of Lympstone” Eau de Vie de Marc, also distilled in partnership with Leigh Kearle, uses the grape pomace after pressing the Estate’s Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay resulting in an aromatic spirit with floral and cinnamon notes and cherry fruit flavours.    

Michael Caines MBE, Lympstone Manor Chef Patron said "It is wonderful to mark this seven-year milestone with three additions to the Lympstone Manor estate Collection. The chardonnay is a truly exceptional wine, inspired by the confidence that we gained when we made our first classic cuvee which included barrel-fermented chardonnay. I knew then that a still chardonnay wine of outstanding quality was possible, but it took until the 2022 harvest for us to achieve that ambition. The wine itself is a testament to the outstanding year where we had an exceptional crop. As always Lyme Bay Wine Maker Sarah Massey did an incredible job in making the wine with a wonderful balance between the fruit and Oak to leave you with a wine that I am sure in time could be award-winning.

"There was a chance meeting with Master distiller Leigh Kerle that enabled Steve Edwards and I to peruse my ambition of making an Eau de Vie de Marc Spirit and from this a Gin. This has enabled us to use all and every element of the wine-making process from the Cuvée for our Classic Cuvée, the taille for our field blended rose and now the pomace which is then distilled for our Spirit of Lympstone and from there we distilled it into the Gin.

"I am extremely proud of the Gin which blends the citrus notes of the lemon verbena and the savoury notes of the lemon thyme to create a unique gin and Marc.

Sarah Massey, Lyme Bay winery winemaker: “The 2022 summer was one of the hottest on record, providing more than double the average sunshine hours resulting in incredible sugar and phenolic ripeness. Having seen the quality of the Lympstone Manor Estate fruit, we knew we wanted to do something special, and the Chardonnay seemed like the ideal candidate. With Steve Edwards at the helm managing the vineyard, the chardonnay fruit came in whistle clean, and we set aside a parcel for an exclusive barrel-fermented still wine. Having undergone full malolactic fermentation, and extended barrel aging for 11 months with regular bátonnage the wine shows great complexity and depth at a young age and will have great aging potential. As always, we at Lyme Bay Winery are thrilled to be working alongside Lympstone Manor and feel privileged to be a part of their winemaking journey.”

Triassic Pinot Noir, Classic Cuvée, Isabeau Rosé and Gin and Eau de Vie de Marc will all be available in Lympstone Manor’s Restaurant, Pool House Restaurant & Bar and the Lympstone Manor Estate Wine website.