Flint Vineyard Pinot Noir 'Précoce' 2023

Pinot Noir Précoce is an early ripening relative of Pinot Noir that is perfectly suited to England’s climate. When cropped low and looked after in the vineyard it can produce exquisite red wines in the style of a Beaujolais Cru.

This wine is produced using a combination of Beaujolaise and Burgundian techniques that Ben at Flint learnt first hand in France. The grapes are fermented partially as whole bunches and partially as de-stemmed and crushed berries. The wine is then allowed to age for 6 months in neutral oak barrels.

The wine is naturally low in acidity with soft tannins making this a silky smooth wine. It is full of sour cherry fruits and a hint of spice with a delicate earthy, toasty background. It will drink well young but, as many people don’t often appreciate, like a good Beaujolais it will age beautifully.

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.