Flint Vineyard 'Silex Blanc' 2023

Flint Vineyard is named after the stoney ground upon which it rests. Silex (French for Flint) is their nod towards the plots of vines from which these Pinot dominant varieties were grown in the Waveney Valley, Norfolk. Using Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay, these classic grape varieties were previously considered difficult to grow and ripen in the UK’s climate. But modern approaches and knowledge have shown that excellent high quality wines can be made and the Silex has garnered a reputation for being one of these.

This is a more complex wine than their Bacchus, with texture and weight. The wine is full of apricot and toasty, nutty flavours with a soft, elegant texture. It drinks well young but has good medium term ageing potential that will allow it to open and develop over time.

Owner and winemaker, Ben Witchell has had a lifelong passion for wine. What started as a desire to learn more about the vinous world quickly spiralled out of control, leading Ben to quit his job in IT and work out how to make wine in 2007. Having since extensively travelled the wine-making world, gained a first-class degree in Oenology and Viticulture at Plumpton College and spent three years in Beaujolais as an assistant winemaker, he is indeed a winemaker, with great respect for both the creative art and the fascinating science of the profession.

With the aim of starting his own winemaking venture in the UK, Ben pinpointed south Norfolk or Suffolk as being potential spots to craft outstanding English wines. With pockets of suitable vineyard soil, and a combination of being the warmest, driest most consistent climate in the country, East Anglia showed great potential. A chance email sent to a local farmer resulted in Ben taking on a plot of vines already planted in the sunny and sheltered Waveney Valley, Norfolk in 2015. Flint Vineyard was born, named after the stony soil on which it is planted.

Since then Flint Vineyard has flourished. There are now over 26,000 vines covering 6 hectares and a state-of-the-art winery allows wine production at the highest level. Flint has gained a solid reputation for producing some of the best premium English still wines. It has also innovated with methods in the winery and products such as the Charmat Rosé, the first sparkling wine to be made using the Charmat method, most commonly used in Prosecco.