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It’s been another year of ups and downs for everyone, but as 2021 rolls to an end, we’d like to put our positive hats on and celebrate some of our good news, as well as looking forward to brighter times ahead.
Lyme Bay Pinot Noir 2020 launch
Following the selection of the vineyard sites, grape clones, careful viticulture, expert winemaking and all the decisions and processes in between, we are delighted to announce the launch of our long-awaited Pinot Noir 2020, available at the Cellar Door and online after months of hard work.
Made from the best fruit available in the UK and aged for nine months in 30% new oak barrels, our Pinot Noir displays a complex and intense array of black cherries, raspberries and bramble fruit, underpinned by a subtle toasty oak to give a rich but balanced weight on the palate and a mouth-watering finish that lingers and evolves.
“The release of our 2020 Pinot Noir is, in all honesty, one of the proudest moments of my career as a winemaker”, says James Lambert, managing director of Lyme Bay Drinks. “It represents an ambitious project, shared with our expert growers and industry-leading vineyard managers, to demonstrate what’s possible with focus, bravery, and an unrivalled commitment to quality and ripeness with still English wines.”
Many of our award-winning drinks are made in limited batches, and our Pinot Noir is no exception. We have around 1000 cases of this exceptional wine – so place your order now before we run out – and keep an eye out for next year’s release of extremely limited parcels of single vineyard expressions from the 2020 vintage, which showcases our growers’ unique terroirs.
New Lugger Golden Rum
Just in time for Christmas may we also introduce the latest member of our Jack Ratt family: our new Lugger Golden Rum.
A gorgeous sipping rum many years in the making, our exquisite Lugger Golden Rum is a carefully considered blend of four superior eight-year-old (8YO) rums from Barbados, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Panama.
The final sumptuous blend is aged in ex-Bourbon wooden casks which gives Lugger Golden Rum lovely wood notes on the nose and a rich rum character. Its wonderfully smooth front palate with a lingering finish and gentle heat is just the thing for a winter warming tipple, and a celebratory new year tot – if you have any left!
Helping hand for Hospiscare
Looking ahead to 2022, we have joined 39 other Devon businesses to help boost funds for local charity Hospiscare as part of its Hospiscare 40 Club. In its 40th year, the charity invited 40 businesses to mark this special anniversary by aiming to collectively raise £40,000 to help it continue its vital care for over 2,000 terminally ill patients and their families across Exeter, Mid and East Devon.
We have pledged to raise £1,000 and so far have hosted a cake sale in the office, raffled a Christmas hamper in the Cellar Door, and on the 6th of March, some of us are running Devon’s famously challenging Grizzly – a multi-terrain race across the glorious East Devon coastline and countryside that has attracted runners from throughout the UK and across the world since 1988. Lyme Bay Winery has been a long-time sponsor of the Grizzly and we even put a miniature Lugger Rum in finishers’ goody bags, so we look forward to getting our running shoes on as participants in aid of Hospiscare in the coming year.
Order drinks online for delivery
You still have time to stock up your winter drinks cabinet before the year ends, in person at the Cellar Door at our Winery shop here in Shute, near Axminster in Devon.
Our festive opening hours are:
Christmas Eve: 9.30 am – 2 pm
Christmas Day – Wednesday 29th Dec: CLOSED
Thursday 30th & Friday 31st Dec: 10 am – 2 pm
New Year’s Day – Monday 3rd January: CLOSED
Tuesday 4th January: 9.30 am – 4.30 pm
Rest of January: Weekdays only 9.30 am – 4.30 pm
Alternatively, you can always get in touch with our friendly team here at the Winery via email at [email protected] or by calling us on 01297 551355 if you’d like to order by phone. Order before 2pm for despatch the next working day – with free delivery for all orders over £45.
You can also find Lyme Bay on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for updates, offers and giveaways – and we love to see your Christmas drink ideas and festive snaps, so do keep sharing.
With very best wishes for a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, from all of us here at Lyme Bay Winery xxx
