The Court Garden Ditchling White is a delicious blend of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Ortega. Following good summer ripening the Chardonnay was barrel fermented in French oak adding a delicate hint of vanilla to this light to medium-bodied dry wine.  Both the Pinot Gris & Ortega were tank fermented in stainless steel to retain freshness.

Aromas of zesty lime, white grapefruit, tropical fruits backed up by a silky texture and slight creamy vanilla. The wine finishes fresh with cleansing zingy acidity.

Ortega is a grape variety used for white wine and was created in 1948 by Hans Breider in Wurzberg, Germany and was released with varietal protection in 1981. It is a cross between Muller Thurgau and Siegerrebe. Breider chose to name the variety in honour of the Spanish poet and philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset.

This adopted English grape ripens early, is not sensitive to frost and reaches quite high must weights and can produce stunning sweet wines, not unlike that of Muscat. It can also be used as a table grape. Here in the Ditchling White, the presence of Ortega is to lift the aromas and flavours by offering delicate floral and white peach notes to balance the barrel-fermented nuttiness of the Chardonnay and the ripe tropical fruits of the Pinot Gris. This is a well-produced, well balanced white blend from 50 miles South of London.