Blanc de Blancs of the Year Great Britain: Hope & Harrow Blanc de Blancs 2020
Rosemary George MW in Top Wineries Become a member to view this article
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Hope & Harrow was set up by Henry and Kaye Laithwaite in 2013. However, Henry already had wine in his genes.
His parents run a very successful wine business, Laithwaites, and from spending his 18th birthday as a cellar hand at a cooperative in the Ardèche, he went on to work in Australia’s McLaren Vale and subsequently ran RedHeads Wine Studio. He returned to France to work in Bergerac and then briefly owned a château in Bordeaux with his wife Kaye, before returning to England.
Henry really liked the 2020 vintage and his 2020 Blanc de Blancs shows just why Harrow & Hope is a name to look out for.They bought their first plot of land, outside the village of Marlow in the heart of the Chilterns, just 4 ha in 2010, and 2.5 ha more in 2012, and built a winery in time their first harvest in 2013.
The name Hope & Harrow catches the eye, with an original reference to the difficulties of cultivating such stony flint-filled soil. The tough flint pebbles make the vineyards “a nightmare to work and cultivate – as two broken harrows testify”. But it’s possible the advantages of flint pebbles, absorbing heat during the day and providing good drainage, outweigh the difficulties.
The vineyards are planted with 40% chardonnay, 40% pinot noir and 20% pinot meunier, using champagne clones and rootstock from the Mercier Frères nursery in France. Henry had the benefit of initial advice from Dr Tony Jordan, who did so much for the Australian and New Zealand sparkling wine industry, and closer to home, the late Mike Roberts from Ridgeview also played his part. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 2023. And yields are kept low to obtain the desired concentration in the wines.
Aerial view of the Hope & Harrow vineyards. Hope & Harrow Wines
As well as small stainless steel vats, the modern cellar houses barrels of varying sizes that are used for fermentation and the storage of some reserve wines. Wild yeasts also play their part, and all the wines undergo a malolactic fermentation and remain on the lees for at least three years before disgorgement.
The range of wines has evolved and now includes Brut Reserve, Rosé, a Pinot Meunier (Henry is particularly enthusiastic about that grape variety) as well as Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs. Henry really liked the 2020 vintage and his 2020 Blanc de Blancs shows just why Harrow & Hope is a name to look out for with its rich but understated notes of brioche and great depth of flavour.
Blanc de Blancs of the Year 2025
