Hundred Hills

In a beautiful chalk valley in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside, you’ll find Hundred Hills winery. The first harvest here was only in 2016, but thanks to the drive of the Duckett family, as well as deep links with the local Manoir au Quatre Saisons, this has become one of England’s most quality driven and sought after sparkling wine producers.

Hundred Hills is the brainchild of Stephen and Fiona Duckett. They met at Oxford University in the 1980s. Stephen’s first career was in tech, Fiona was an academic. Together they’d long been wine lovers, but it was a bottle of Nyetimber 1992 that proved the pivotal moment.

Stephen’s background in data helped inform their search for their very own vineyard in the south of England. It was information on soils and climate that led to this beautiful valley, near Stonor Park, as well as the input of Michel Salgues, a University of Montpellier professor whose former pupils included Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, Chef de Caves at Roederer. His presence helped open doors in Champagne, allowing the team and Hundred Hills to learn from the very best.

In 2014 they started planted vines, using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir clones that were typically found in Champagne in the 1960s. There’s now 17 hectares under vine, which Stephen reckons is about the perfect size for what he wants to do. 

Yields are low, and the grapes are picked late, making sure that they’re as ripe as possible. This gives the wines a concentration and depth of flavour that’s impressive. All the wines are vintage, with the family intending it to stay that way. And while fermentation is in stainless steel, a variety of different sizes and toasts of oak barrels are used to age the base wines, and all wines undergo between two and five years on the lees.

The wines are specific to parcels in the vineyard: the back labels show exactly where they’re from. This makes these some of the most individual English Sparkling Wines out there. With considerable critical acclaim, as well as a following in some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK, Hundred Hills is producer on the move.