Lakestreet - Vines with a view

Our part of Sussex is all about ridges with commanding views over the intimate folds of our hills and valleys.  Lakestreet Vineyard falls off the ridge line, rolling down from 120 m above sea level to 85m with stop-and-stare views sweeping across Oast houses, bluebell woods and ending on that most quintessential element of English countryside: the dreaming ancient church spire on a distant hill.

The soils here are different from Hobdens, more open, ranging from clay loam  and silty-sandy clay, where the Chardonnay is planted, to greensand over clays and sandstones for the Pinot noir and Pinto Meunier. We also grow some Pinot gris here, mostly on the steepest slopes. The more open soils mean that budburst and harvest are usually ahead of Hobdens by a week.

We picked the best clones and rootstocks from our experience at Hobdens and added a few new ones to increase the range , each clone brings slightly different attributes to our wines.

The fruit flavours from the Pinot Noir & Pinot Gris are notably different at Lakestreet permitting us to produce a number of distinctive & excitingly different cuvées.

The fields are named High Field for its commanding views and Hawk Field for the resident Hobbys, mewling buzzards, diving kestrels and the haunting owls. Great Gale, as yet unplanted, is named after the Great Storm of 1703, which reputedly felled the woodland here three centuries ago. Each field has a special character of its own.

Hawk Field and High Field are separated by our ponds and nature reserves, helping us contribute to the natural biodiversity of this part of Sussex.

 

 

 

 

 

Lakestreet Vineyard

  • Area 11 ha ( 7.5 ha planted )
  • Elevation:  85m to 120m
  • Orientation: Mixed, mostly: South & South-west
  • Slope:
    • High Field- a  uniform 7%
    • Hawk Field – a flat plateau with short steep slopes up to 30%
  • Soils: Greensands, clay-loams and clays over sandstones
  • Microclimates:  Very parcel specific.