Davenport Vineyards is an organic estate winery located in Rotherfield, a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It was created, owned and run by Will Davenport. The first vines were planted in 1993. Will Davenport also makes wine under contract for a number of the UK’s smaller organic vineyards. He is one of the UK’s and most experienced and talented producers and also acts as a consultant. Davenport dropped Bacchus as single varietal and instead used it as a blending component in white blends.

Vineyards: 8 hectares (20 acres). 

Organic certification: 2000 First year of organic conversion. | 2003 First vintage with full certified organic status.

Sparkling wines

Davenport Pet Nat:

Limney Estate, Vintage White: 1999 Try to have at least 70% Pinot Noir, plus 30% Auxerrois. Honeyed, some rich fruit. Bronze medal when tasted blind at the UKVA Wine Competition 9 & 10 June 2003. | 2001 Organic in conversion. | 2003 Certified organic.

Limney Estate Blanc de Blancs: 2005 ‘Davenport, Limney Estate Blanc de Blancs 2005 based on (organically grown) Reichensteiner was so well made I felt it could have been a particularly brisk Blanc de Blancs champagne,’ wrote Jancis Robinson MW in March 2011. | 2006 Very nice fruit flavours, with texture at Artisan & Vine, St John’s Hill, Battersea 18 May 2011.

Limney Estate Sparkling Wine 2009: This was awarded the Vintners Trophy for the best sparkling wine at the UK Vineyards Association wine competition in 2014 and at the same awards it won theGore-Browne Trophy for the Wine of the Year 2014. This is the top award that an English wine producer can win.

Limney Sparkling Auxerrois

Limney Sparkling Rosé

Still whites (listed by vintage)

2000 Limney Estate Fumé: 100% Auxerrois.

2001 Limney Estate Fumé:100% Auxerrois. Soft, creamy nose with earth and butter, some lees too, pleasant palate, soft creamy fruit, good winemaking using a rather dull grape, cleanish, slightly earthy with good length when tasted blind at the UKVA Wine Competition 9 & 10 June 2003, winning a Highly Commended. | 2001 Medium Dry White: 100% Faberebe although labelled as a ‘Dry White’ rather than as a ‘Faberebe’. 2001 Horsemonden Dry White UKVA Wine Competition 9 &10 June 2003 Wine No 27: Secondary aromas melding with basic honey and primary floral aromas in an attractive if slightly ‘bitter-sweet’/’sweet and sour’ way; palate seemed fairly dry, with crisp, chalky acidity setting off honeyed, but slightly grassy fruit, with a creamy, tidy finish; just lacks a little finesse. | 2001 Limney Vineyard Horsemonden White:100% Auxerrois. Soft, creamy nose with earth and butter, some lees too, pleasant palate, soft creamy fruit, good winemaking using a rather dull grape, cleanish, slightly earthy with good length when tasted blind at the UKVA Wine Competition 9 & 10 June 2003, winning a Highly Commended.

2002 Limney Fumé 55% Auxerrois, 45% Pinot Noir. Low yielding year. | 2002 Horsemonden Dry White: Blend of Ortega, Bacchus, Faber, Huxelrebe and Siegerrebe. | 2002 Limney Vineyard Horsemonden White: 55% Auxerrois, 45% Pinot Noir. Low yielding year.

2003 Horsemonden Dry White:The first vintage with full organic status (2002 is in conversion).

2004 Limney Fumé: Not produced in 2004. 

2005 Limney Horsemonden Dry White: Overall Winner, Gold Award for wine, Soil Association 2006 Organic Food Awards. Vegan suitable.

2009 Horsemonden Dry Blend of Ortega, Faber, Siegerrebe, Bacchus and Huxelrebe. Unfiltered. Clear, well textured, very good at Artisan & Vine, St John’s Hill, Battersea 18 May 2011.

2014 Horsemonden Dry Picked. Pressed. To tank. Each variety in its own tank. Wild yeast. Blended. 62mg/l sulfites. 2g/l residual sugar. Moreish clear fruit, tastes sweeter than it actually is analytically when tried (RAW, 2015).

Red wines

Pinot Noir, Diamond Fields

Contact

Davenport Vineyards

Limney Farm, Castle Hill,

Rotherfield TN6 3RR, United Kingdom

Website: www.davenportvineyards.co.uk