Lyme Bay Winery Pinot Noir

A still English Pinot Noir made by a Devon winery using grapes grown in Essex's Crouch Valley — the corner of England now widely regarded as the country's finest site for Pinot Noir. The 2021 vintage won the IWC Trophy for Best English Pinot in 2025.

A 750ml bottle of dry red wine, vinified at Lyme Bay Winery in the Axe Valley, just outside Axminster in East Devon. The grapes come from Lyme Bay's network of contracted growers in the Crouch Valley — long-term partnerships that allow the winery to choose the best fruit, parcel by parcel, year by year.

Pinot Noir is the most demanding red grape in the world, and English Pinot Noir until recently was an idea rather than a reality. The Crouch Valley changed that. Free-draining gravels, a warm dry microclimate, and rainfall lower than almost anywhere else in the UK have produced wines that critics now describe as comparable to Burgundy in blind tastings. Lyme Bay's winemaker Sarah Massey trained in Burgundy and California before coming home — the influence shows.

Light to medium-bodied. Translucent ruby in the glass. On the nose: red and black cherry, raspberry, a touch of woodsmoke and spice from the oak. On the palate: sleek cherry fruit at the core, smooth in the middle, taut and focused on the finish, with a lively acid line that places the wine unmistakably in England.

Bottled at 13% ABV. Suitable for vegans.

For roast duck, slow-cooked lamb, mushroom risotto, or a strong cheeseboard. Equally at home with a charcuterie board, hard cheeses, or roast chicken on a Sunday.

75cl. Please drink responsibly.