Artelium, Pinot Noir, East Sussex, England, 2023

Producer Profile

Curators, collaborators and custodians of English wine making, art and nature, Artelium is a boutique estate in the heart of the East Sussex countryside crafting exceptional English still and sparkling wines.

Founded by Mark Collins and Julie Bretland in 2020, the name Artelium comes from a combination of ‘Art’ and ‘- ium’, a Latin suffix used to denote places where people congregate. In that sense, Artelium is the embodiment of a long-held vision to create a space for people to come together and enjoy wine and art in a beautiful natural setting. The area around their East Sussex home has a proud heritage of artisans, which Mark and Julie wanted to celebrate by being a hub for artistic expression and innovative winemaking. Artelium sees each vintage as an opportunity to create pioneering styles of wine that will shape the future of the industry, using both their own grapes and collaborating with other growers. Mark leads the wine team supported by Owen Elias (one of the UK’s most respected and renowned winemakers and recent addition to the team, South African Solly Monyamane.

Viticulture

Guyot pruned burgundy clone vines situated in their Artelium West, Madehurst vineyards which sit on chalky soils.

Winemaking

Burgundy-clones 777 (75%) and 828 (25%) were fermented over 10 days with pump-overs twice a day to extract tannin, colour and flavour. Malolactic fermentation took place followed by light oak contact for five months. Separated by clones (777 and 828), the berries transferred into a red wine fermenter and immediately inoculated. Fermentation takes about 9-10 days with daily pump overs twice a day for tannin, colour, and flavour extraction. Once fermented the wine went through Malolactic fermentation and partial aging in barrels and tank with wood chips infused for 5 months.

Oak Ageing

Time: 5 Months
Type: French Oak

Tasting Note

Juicy, crunchy, vibrant Pinot Noir all held in an elegant, very ‘classic’ structure. Concentrated brambles (blackberry) and black cherry, damson fruit overlaid with quintessential Pinot perfumed aromatics and subtle dry spice. Subtle fennel and violet give further aromatic complexity and intrigue. Medium-light, chalky tannins give the wine great texture, acidity is refreshing but well-integrated and harmonious. Long, complete finish with all components pulling-together to the end.

Food Matching

A great wine on its own at room temperature but also ideal with seasonal game, lighter red meat dishes and lamb. A perfect partner to earthy mushrooms or protein-rich bean dishes.