Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens

England’s first Pinotage Vineyard

Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens is described as 'The Finest Woodland Gardens in England'. First planted in 1801, the Grade I listed gardens set within the historic 240-acre estate features an outstanding scenery throughout the year.

In 2018, the first commercial Pinotage vines were planted in the UK at Leonardslee and is set to produce its first estate Pinotage in 2020 with an estimated 4000 bottles.

While our vines mature, explore the world of wine pairing with our six wine tasting experiences from our sister estate, Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate in South Africa. Their award-winning wines can be sampled seven days a week.

BOOK A WINE TASTING EXPERIENCE

Wedding Venue:

Wedding day dreams come true at the idyllic Leonardslee Estate. Set in the heart of West Sussex, Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens is the perfect location for your special day with its romantic landscapes and a breath-taking 19th century Mansion.

Our beautiful country estate boasts stunning formal and ornamental gardens, several lakes, extensive woodlands, local wildlife and the odd Wallaby as well.

GET IN TOUCH

Address:

Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens Horsham RH13 6PP

Phone: 0871 8733 389

West Sussex

Tours and Tastings:

Whilst our vines are maturing, we invite you to experience a wine tasting at Leonardslee House showcasing the produce from our sister property in South Africa. Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate, based in the Walker Bay Wine Region, is at the forefront of viticultural and vinicultural excellence and a precursor of what is to come at Leonardslee.

Available seven days a week

Tutored Wine Tasting Experience

£10.00 per person (Free for members when using voucher found in welcome pack)

Enjoy a tasting journey of five of our estate wines from our South African vineyard at Benguela Cove.

Walking Tour of England’s first Pinotage Vineyard

£12.00 per person

Guided tour of England’s first Pinotage vineyard followed by a tutored tasting of five estate wines in the Mansion House.

Chocolate & Wine Pairing Experience

£15 per person

Experience includes the tasting of five estate wines and five local Sussex chocolates by J. Cocoa.

Cheese & Wine Pairing Experience

£15 per person

Local Sussex cheeses have been hand selected by our chef and paired carefully with five estate wines.

Ultimate Leonardslee Experience

A full-day experience for two people - £140

Join us for the ultimate day out in Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens which includes; garden entry, a sabrage demonstration, vineyard tour, wine tasting and Afternoon Tea at Leonardslee House.

Enhance your experience with a Sabrage sparkling wine demonstration

£25.00

Learn the age-old technique of opening a bottle of sparkling wine with a sabre. The experience includes a bottle of our Benguela Cove 58 Cuvée which serves up to six guests.

Book a wine tasting experience today - https://www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk/wine-tastings

Hectares:

0.50 :

Website:

https://www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk/

Shop:

Leonardslee Gardens Shop

Wine Type:

Still red

Sparkling red

Facilities:

Open to the Public

Cafe Restaurant

Shop/Farm Shop

Wine Tasting

Garden Centre

Tours

Weddings

Function Room

Car Parking

Disabled Access

Dog Friendly

Grape Varieties:

Pinotage

Download:

Wedding Brochure

Awards:

Leonardslee Gardens Wins Gold at the Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2019-2020

“We are delighted to win the New Tourism Business Award for Excellence 2019. It confirms the superb work by our team at Leonardslee to provide our visitors with truly unique and exceptional experiences.”

- Estate Manager Adam Streeter

LEARN MORE

Restaurant Interlude wins first MICHELIN Star

Set within the historic Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens estate near Horsham in West Sussex, Restaurant Interlude is believed to be the first UK restaurant associated with its own vineyard to win a MICHELIN Star. It was the only Sussex restaurant to win its first star at the 2020 awards.

LEARN MORE

In the press:

First Pinotage vineyard planted in the UK

Planting begins at first UK Pinotage vineyard

Video (click to play):

Verified

Directories:

Weddings Venues

Ultimate Leonardslee – A Whole Day Experience For Two	£140.00
Cheese & Wine Tasting	£15.00
Sabrage Sparkling Experience	£25.00
Tutored Wine Tasting Experience	£10.00
Walking tour of the UK’s first pinotage vineyard	£12.00

Leonardslee Rosé 2018	Description This rosé shows juicy watermelon, candyfloss and red berry fruit flavours with sweet hints and a distinctively floral bouquet. This vibrant salmon pink wine is well balanced with natural acidity, good length and complexity. Produced in a style reminiscent of Provence, dry but with excellent fruit balance. Winemaking Notes Sourced from premium blocks of Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Viognier. The free run, light colour juice was cold fermented with specially selected yeast strains. A few months extended lees contact was given on the fine lees. Growing Conditions Benguela Cove’s low annual rainfall and windy conditions results in vineyards that are less prone to fungal diseases and this promotes a minimal use of anti-fungal sprays. The predominantly clay soils have a naturally high water retention capacity, which facilitates the limited use of supplementary water irrigation from fresh mountain water. This Rosé is produced predominantly in equal parts of Shiraz and Mourvèdre with a lesser part of Viognier. Grapes farmed for rosé production were picked at optimum ripeness levels to capture a range of typical red berry fruit flavours. Bunches were hand-selected in the vineyards and harvested in the cooler morning hours to ensure freshness of flavours. Food Pairing Pair this rosé with any seafood dish, especially sushi and grilled prawns or even a spicy meat dish. A delightful wine to be enjoyed at sunset with good company.	£9.50 Per bottle
Leonardslee Sauvignon Blanc 2018	Description This wine is the happy outcome of its unique terroir and inspired winemaking, displaying typical characteristics of a cool climate coastal Sauvignon Blanc. Elegant and racy it follows in the quality footsteps of its award-winning predecessors. Enjoy its Old World minerality and length with hints of New World fruit and texture on the palate. Notes of guava, tropical fruit, kiwi and citrus are complemented by subtle gooseberry undertones making this a wine that is expressive of its origin and flavours. Winemaking Notes This wine was made using reductive processing from crushing to bottling. Crushing was slow and gentle to ensure the grapes cooled sufficiently and to prevent oxidation of the juice. Skin contact of six hours was allowed to reach the desired acidity level. Settling of juice was allowed for 48 hours, followed by careful racking to the fermentation tank. Fermentation was allowed at 16 – 18° C up to 3% alcohol level, to enhance thiol flavour conversion. Thereafter the wine was fermented at 12-13° C to preserve the fruit flavours. Completely tank fermented, this wine spent 60 days on the fermentation lees, which was stirred up once a week to enhance mouth feel. Growing Conditions Benguela Cove is one of the most sought-after Sauvignon Blanc terroirs in the Western Cape. The ocean-facing vineyard is situated on the cooler slopes of the property. With such unique terroir characteristics the grapes also have a unique story to tell, which is reacted in the wine. It has always been the view of the winemaker and viticulturist that Sauvignon Blanc is made in the vineyards, this wine being the perfect example. The Leonardslee Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is made from a south and north facing vineyard. These vineyards are situated on the shores of the lagoon which runs down to the cold Atlantic Ocean. The southern slope with its close proximity to the ocean results in a cooler median daytime temperature with cool maritime winds that caress the vineyards from midday, while the northern slopes enjoys more sunlight and therefore result into a component different in style to compliment the south end. Food Pairing The Leonardslee Sauvignon Blanc 2018 complements any seafood dish, especially grilled fish, crayfish and calamari. It is a wine that can also be enjoyed with grilled veal, pasta with creamy sauces and pesto. A wonderful companion to any meal, it should be served ice cold.	£9.50 Per bottle
Leonardslee Shiraz / Merlot 2015	Description This Shiraz / Merlot shows aroma of five spice, cherry, violets and black pepper on the nose. Displaying typical characters of a cool climate, maritime style Shiraz. Elegant in style with wild strawberry fruit, black olive and savory notes on the palate which is complemented by the velvety tannin structure which makes for a seamless, soft finish. Winemaking Notes The grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness and sorted in the cellar to ensure only the best fruit was used for fermentation. A portion of the blend was fermented as whole berries. The wine fermented naturally and alcoholic fermentation lasted approximately six days. During this time it was pumped over every few hours to ensure perfect colour, flavour and tannin extraction.The wine was pressed off the skins before alcoholic fermentation was completed to prevent the extraction of hard and dry tannins. Malolactic fermentation lasted three weeks in barrel after which the wine was matured for 12 months using 100% French oak. Growing Conditions The Leonardslee Shiraz / Merlot 2015 is a blend of vineyard blocks planted on the north facing slopes of our estate. While cool climate viticulture is the name of the game, the final product also benefits from the use of various Shiraz clones grown on shale, iron laterites, chalk and quartz stone rich soils making for layers of aroma and complexity.	£9.50 Per bottle

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Awards:

Leonardslee Gardens Wins Gold at the Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2019-2020

Restaurant Interlude wins first MICHELIN Star

In the press:

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