July 8, 2026 — To celebrate twenty vintages of English winemaking, Gusbourne Estate is opening its cellar for a rare release of historic wines, many in such limited quantities that some will never be available again in this form. The Cellar Release collection goes live to members on 16th July and remains available online until 6th August 2026.
The release comprises around 250 bottles in total, drawn from tiny parcels held back over two decades. The collection of sparkling wine offers a unique cross-section of the estate’s winemaking history – including just four bottles of Blanc de Blancs 2006, from Gusbourne’s very first vintage.
These rare and precious wines, priced from £45 per bottle and exclusively available to Gusbourne members, share an unusual distinction: every bottle was disgorged on the same day, 23rd March 2026, and each has been hand-labelled with the estate’s new Cellar Release design.
A taste of history
The 2006 vintage holds particular significance as the estate’s founding harvest. Gusbourne’s Chief Vineyard Manager, Jon Pollard, recalls picking the first fruit from the Butness vineyard that year.
Reflecting on the years since, Pollard describes a winemaking journey shaped as much by setbacks as by breakthroughs – from an unusually late, high-yield harvest in 2010 to the estate’s first still Chardonnay in 2011, a wine he calls a turning point for English still wine.
“There’s something in every vintage,” says Pollard. “You try things, you learn from them, you fine-tune them. Then another year comes along and teaches you something else.”
Members first
The Cellar Release is designed as a reward for Gusbourne’s members, giving them first and equal access to wines that, in many cases, exist in single-digit quantities. The online sales window has been set deliberately to ensure fairness: members will know in advance exactly when the collection goes live, so access is a matter of timing rather than chance.
Gusbourne’s exclusive two-tier membership – Collectors and Explored – includes preview access to new releases, preferential pricing on all wines, special tastings and first access to ticketed events.
For those not yet part of the Gusbourne community, this release offers a clear case for joining: membership is the route to wines, history and moments that are not otherwise available.
This offer is available for a limited time, closing on 6th August. To preview the list of wines in the Cellar Release collection, click here. To learn more about Gusbourne Membership, click here.
ABOUT GUSBOURNE
Gusbourne planted its first vines in 2004 with a single-minded vision: to craft the world’s finest sparkling wines. Today – two decades on –that same ambition still drives them.
The team at Gusbourne work in a way which embraces tradition but challenges convention. The focus is always on the detail – the incremental gains – which allow them to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in English wine, one vintage at a time.
The quality of fruit is essential: Gusbourne farm and hand-harvest all its own grapes. This means they have total control over the quality in the vineyard; they only pick when the fruit is perfectly ripe. Around half of their vines are Burgundian clones. These yield smaller quantities of ripe, flavourful grapes which are ideal for both still and sparkling wines.
All Gusbourne’s wines are vintage-only, which means they’re made using the fruit from a single growing season. Each wine tells a story of a year’s growing conditions, capturing a moment in time. They cellar age the wines for as long as they need, releasing them only when they are ready.
The award-winning tasting room and cellar door, The Nest, is open year-round, welcoming impromptu guests for self-guided tours and tasting flights. Gusbourne also hosts a range of ticketed events, such as expert-led masterclasses, tutored tastings and dining experiences.
Gusbourne supplies leading restaurants in the UK, such as Ynyshir, L’Enclume, Moor Hall, Restaurant Story, CORE by Clare Smyth and the Hand & Flowers. They have exclusive sparkling wine listings at Whatley Manor, The Lanesborough, Claridges and The Corinthia Hotels, as well as prestigious listings at Grosvenor House, Boringdon Hall, The Athenaeum, Torridon, Grove of Narbeth and Northcote.
Gusbourne is the official English Sparkling Wine supplier of Cowdray Estate, in West Sussex, and their wines can be enjoyed onboard the Belmond British Pullman, Cunard cruise ships and in Japanese Airlines First Class lounges. Fifty One Degrees North 2016 is served in British Airways First Class, on rotation.
The wines are also available from retailers including Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, as well as many independent, specialist wine merchants, including Berry Bros. & Rudd and Hedonism. The wines are also exported to over 40 countries around the world.
