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In Conversation With… Exton Park
In Conversation with Corinne Seely of Exton Park
Under the guidance of winemaker Corinne Seely, Exton Park Vineyard has developed a following for its stylish and pioneering approach.
Exton Park is a Hampshire sparkling wine producer with a 60-acre single vineyard planted on a south facing slope in the South Downs National Park.
Their first vines were planted in 2003, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, and their state-of-the-art winery was built in 2011. With a 60 acre single vineyard, a bespoke winery and a breathtaking promotional facility all on one estate, Exton Park offers guests an unrivalled English wine experience.
Their Reserve Blend range of traditional method sparkling wines do not rely on a base vintage like other English sparkling wine producers; over 80% of each blend is composed from their extensive archive of reserve wines, and the number of reserves in each blend is reflected in the name of each wine. Corinne has spearheaded this approach to ensure consistency, quality and complexity with each bottling.
Corinne talks us through her fascinating journey into wine and her winemaking approach, and her love for Hampshire’s Meon Valley.
You have been in the wine industry for many years. Can you share with us your personal journey into wine?
My wine journey began at a young age when on holidays in the South of France as our holiday home was in the middle of a vineyard and I used to play in the winery every day. Everything fascinated me; the atmosphere was so memorable. I remember thinking that it was a truly magical place.
Being French, I grew up in a family who enjoy cooking, eating, drinking and being merry. And so, becoming a winemaker felt natural. My dreams were finally realised in the 90’s when I moved to Bordeaux and set out on my formal winemaking journey.
I became one of the first young female winemakers at the head of a Grand Cru classé in Bordeaux, an experience I will never forget. It gave me strength and courage for the rest of my journey.
Can you describe your winemaking approach and how the style of your wines has evolved?
I wanted to create something different at Exton Park. We have developed our own style here. Although I am French, I am not here to make a Champagne copycat.
I wanted to create something that is genuinely expressive of the fantastic chalky soil of the Meon Valley in Hampshire. We have a single vineyard of 60 acres, with plots at different altitudes and aspects, offering a real variety of different flavours. Our winery is designed so that it allows grapes from each plot to be pressed and stored separately.
With time – and a lot of patience – we have built up a library of reserve wines in the past decade. This piece of our unique heritage has enabled me to create a consistent style and quality in every bottle of Exton Park wine.
What makes your land in Hampshire different from that of your neighbours and how does this impact the wine?
The chalk soils that Exton Park sits on are truly distinctive. Not only this, but the natural slopes are a great frost preventative, and the various aspects help to develop different rates of ripening and a mixture of flavour profiles. Equally, the clone and rootstock variation are bespoke to our specific slice of Hampshire. The density of plantings and our various pruning methods also work to enhance the wines we make.
What have been the biggest challenges and successes of the most recent harvest?
A successful harvest is, intentionally, to maintain a relatively low crop of under 3 tonnes per acre. The main challenges we have faced is the tricky weather extremes, e.g. experiencing a 40° Celsius afternoon in July, to radically drop down to -1° Celsius overnight the week before harvest.
We’re all here at Exton Park to make a very stylish English sparkling wine. At its very core, the wine still must have excellent brightness and minerality, regardless of ripeness levels. In the grapes, phenolic maturity is very important, and to reach this level of ripening requires a longer waiting time, and managing the potential alcohol at the same time requires great skill. Although both were excellent vintages, I preferred the 2019 vintage to 2018, it still divides opinion, but this is an example of why we are different at Exton Park.
What are some of the latest developments that you see in the wider English sparkling wine industry?
English still wines are on a steep upward trajectory, both in quality and production. As a judge at various panels, I get to blind taste them every year. The incredible evolution and emergence have made them very enjoyable to taste, judge, and of course, drink!
Do you have any exciting new projects coming up that you can share with us, and what would you like to try that you haven’t yet?
We have many exciting projects in the pipeline here at Exton Park. They have to remain secret though, as to not ruin the surprise! You may have already seen our exciting ‘sea-aged’ wine will be released later this year.
We have a small orchard next to the winery, I would love to make some cider one day! Although Malcolm (Isaac) would need some convincing.
When you are not drinking your own wines, what else do you enjoy?
I am obsessed with Italian wines, in particular, Trebbiano for white wines. Nero D’Avola from Sicily is my go-to for red wines. I like the harmony that all Italian wines carry. With the array of grapes, styles and the array of wines, as a wine making country, it’s all encapsulating.
Will the Meon Valley in Hampshire soon be a Barolo ‘esque’ patchwork of vineyards? Watch this space.