The project saw the estate’s 2014 Blanc de Blancs submerged 60m under the sea for 12 months off the coast of Brest in Brittany, northwest France. Its spell in the water took place while it was still on the lees, before being disgorged in 2021.
This sets the English project apart from many similar projects conducted by Champagne houses, where disgorging prior to submergence is mandatory by production law.
Sixty meters under the sea
Initially inspired by bottles found in decades-old shipwrecks, winemakers from around the globe are now trailing the idea of underwater cellars.
Though still a niche trend, advocates for sea ageing already include familiar names such as Champagne houses Veuve Clicquot and Leclerc Briant, Larrivet Haut-Brion in Bordeaux and Gaia Winery in Greece.
Some argue that the underwater environment enhances greater intensity of colour, more accentuated primary fruit and a smoother texture.
This time, the English producer partnered with marine project specialist Amphoris and submerged his vintage Blanc de Blancs at a ‘safe and secure location’ off the northwest French coast ‘away from fishing and military activity’.
The complete darkness and constant temperature on the chosen seabed replicate those found in traditional cellars.
However, it is the ‘constant and gentle movement of the sea’, combined with similar pressure outside and inside the bottle that contribute to the wine’s subtle evolution away from the usual cellar ageing trajectory, said Corinne Seely, wine director of Exton Park.
Choosing the wine for the mission
‘I was at a tasting in
