Gusbourne Vineyard

We own 40.1 hectares of vineyards at Gusbourne Estate in Kent and a further 21.9 hectares in West Sussex, all planted with the classic grape varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. At Gusbourne making wines exclusively from our own estate grown grapes is an essential part of our winemaking philosophy.

Gusbourne owns 7 vineyards in Kent:

Butness
Pond Field
Cherry Garden
Boothill
Mill Hill East
Heartbreak
Commanders

Gusbourne owns 4 vineyards in West Sussex:

Halnaker
Selhurst
Walnut Tree
Downfield

The Kent vineyards have a predominantly clay soil, with sub-soils including sand, chalk fragments, seashells and stones including sandstone and ironstone (locally known as Crowstone). These warm, rich soils in combination with the Estate’s proximity to the coast and low elevation ensure that a high level of ripeness is regularly achieved.

The vineyards are planted with predominantly Burgundy clones: with lower yields than their Champagne counterparts, the grapes are riper and with more flavour. The use of these grapes in our sparkling wines is a significant point of difference and one of which we are proud.

The West Sussex vineyards are situated within the South Downs National Park, on the Selhurst Park Estate, which neighbours Goodwood, near Chichester. The soils there are predominantly lime rich, chalk soils, with the exception of Downfield where the chalk ends and gives way to flint.

The Halnaker Vineyard was planted in 2006 with Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The 2013 harvest was the first from which grapes from the Halnaker vineyard were vinified at Gusbourne. Additional sites (Selhurst, Walnut Tree and Downfield) were planted in 2013.

Shared by Christian Holthausen

www.gusbourne.com