Carvers Hill Estate: From Bordeaux to Wiltshire

Carvers Hill Estate in Shalbourne, Wiltshire, was planted with 22,000 vines in May 2021 by the Griffiths family, and was inspired by a holiday they took in the French Alps.

Whilst holidaying in the region in 2008, arable farmer Tim Griffiths saw an advertisement in the International Herald Tribune newspaper. The owner of the Domaine de Bellevue, Jean Francois Boras, was looking for an investor to complete the replanting and rebuilding of his vineyard near the village of Langoran, Côtes de Bordeaux. Tim was intrigued, telephoned Jean-Francois, and arranged to visit the vineyard.

Tim was impressed by the quality of the wine and beauty of Bellevue, and so invested alongside Jean-Francois in the spring of 2008.

This investment and general experience of the world of viticulture gave Tim both the enthusiasm and confidence to bring that same passion for winemaking to life in England, and Wiltshire in particular – with Carvers Hill Estate being established in 2021. While still a fledgling planting, two vintages have already been harvested.

Today, an exclusive members’ club, Le Grand Société, incorporates both Bellevue and Carvers Hill Estate so that club members can now enjoy English wines alongside those from Bordeaux. 

A tale of two halves

The Carvers Hill Estate vineyard really is a tale of two halves, as it is split into two distinct sites which, although sharing the same soil – Pewsey green sand over chalk – have very different characteristics. 

One half of the vineyard was commercially farmed for wildflowers by Charles Flower, so the vines on this side have an abundance of flowers surrounding them. 

Carvers Hill Estate strives to farm sustainably, therefore never uses herbicides. While the flowers create competition for water and nutrients, Patrick explains that this actually improves the quality of the grapes as the vines are forced to work harder. 

The other half of the vineyard was used as grazing pastures for cows and sheep for nearly 40 years. The subsequent fertile ground means more vigorous growth in the vines. Between the two blocks is a woodland with birch, offering a natural ecosystem for flora and fauna. 

Biodiversity and habitat creation is all part of the wider sustainability ethos that influences many of the management decisions on the vineyard. 

Patrick explains: “Our main focus at the moment is farming as sustainably as possible, with specific focus on soil and undervine management. 

“Our vines mature with minimal intervention, and we continue to use sustainable practices, reflecting the terroir in our future harvests.”

Vine management

A total of 21,000 vines were planted in 2021, with Vinescapes providing the planting services. According to Patrick, they settled in well, although due to the drought in 2022 they had a couple of rows which they had to irrigate by hand and cut them back to two buds. “We do have plans to add more but it will likely be in 2028,” Patrick adds.

The vines are on VSP single guyot trellising with metal end posts. Pruning is single guyot cane using the gentle pruning method.

Advice has been provided by Ben Brown, vine specialist at Agrii, as well as the Vinescapes team, and more recently Patrick has sought expertise from agronomist John Buchan. 

For Carvers Hill, 2025 in comparison to 2024 was, for all intents and purposes, a great year. “During July we had perfect conditions for flowering with dry sunny weather with very little wind,” explains Patrick.

“During the growing season we had low rainfall, which was great for keeping disease pressures down; however, as parts of our vineyard have a high chalk content on the ridge that inhibits the uptake of iron, this was exasperated by the low rainfall. Those vines did struggle to reach the top wire and develop a filled-out canopy.” 

The primary diseases that Carvers Hill Estate has been dealing with are downy mildew and botrytis. “2024 was a extremely challenging year for combatting downy mildew, mostly in the first couple of rows that are planted within a couple of metres of our woodland on the east side, as that area is sheltered from the prevailing winds.”  

For the more exposed vines on the southwest-facing slopes, there is excellent solar exposure and the prevailing winds can mitigate the settlement of mildew and other diseases.

Weeds are managed mechanically without herbicides, which Patrick says is particularly challenging on established nettles. 

To date, the machinery held in the vineyard is an air-assisted Lipco sprayer, John Deere vineyard tractor, John Deere ride-on mower and a mulcher. Patrick is currently exploring options for undervine weed management machinery. 

Harvest and wine

As it was only planted in 2021, the vines are still maturing so there have only been two full harvests so far. 

“We have had two vintages to date; 2024, which was an incredibly difficult vintage for our young vines with only average 0.8t of ripe fruit per hectare. This meant our team had to manage their first harvest at the same time as navigating the opening of the new winery,” explains Patrick. “But for 2025 we had a stronger harvest, with a yield of 4t/ha.”

Grapes are hand-harvested using a contract labour team.

For now, Carvers Hill Estate is championing a still Pinot Noir, Pinot Précoce rosé and a Chardonnay, as well as producing a vintage sparkling rosé using the Traditional method. 

The winery

A purpose-built onsite winery was commissioned in 2024, which forms part of a wider refurbishment of the old farm buildings. While the entire footprint of the original structure has been incorporated into the overall building, the winery itself takes up only one corner. 

It is connected to the rest of the expansive building via floor-to-ceiling windows, which look out to an impressive event arena which can seat up to 150 guests. The grounds outside the building provide even more hosting space, making the venue ideal for special occasions such as weddings. 

A mezzanine level offers a private space for more intimate events, as well as corporate hire opportunities.

The private members’ wine club, Le Grand Société, is run by vineyard owner Tim Griffiths. Carvers Hill Estate and its first wines made from the vines in Wiltshire are now an integral part of the membership offering. The wine club provides an excellent marketing opportunity, and social media also forms part of the main core of the marketing plan.

The winery is kitted out with a Europress 3-tonne press, with Letina stainless steel fermentation tanks, and pumps and destemmer from Sraml. 

While the winery is not yet available for contract winemaking, according to Patrick it is in the plan for the 2025 vintage. 

Diversifications

There are several interesting diversification projects on-site.  

A section of woodland, otherwise under-utilised, is home to three luxury cabins that are available to book for retreats and weekends away. Nestled away in the woods, each hut has its own private area with log burners, fire pits and facilities – views through the trees give a glimpse of the vineyard and offer a unique getaway experience.

Tours and tastings are offered throughout most of the year, with the most popular being the ‘Sundowner’ tour which takes place in the evening, Patrick explains.

And of course, the impressive events space incorporating the winery, which hosts weddings, events, and corporate functions, and features an onsite kitchen.

Future plans

As already mentioned, additional vine plantings may be on the cards for the future, as well as the potential for offering contract winemaking.

But, according to Patrick, one thing is for certain: “Our future plans for the vineyard are to ensure we focus on sustainable practices in our farming and always prioritising soil health and biodiversity in every decision we make,” he concludes.  

GROWER PROFILE

Vineyard manager: Patrick Golson

Location: Carvers Hill Estate,
Shalbourne, Wiltshire

Total vineyard size: 5.5ha

Soil type: Pewsey green sand over chalk

Aspect: 15-degree SE facing slopes with a maximum height of 150m above sea level with a typical wind direction of NE

Varieties: Chardonnay 96 on SO4/41B (0.31ha); Pinot Meunier 817 on 41B (0.55ha); Pinot Noir 777, 667, 386 and GM2013 planted on Fercal/SO4/41B (1.64ha); Pinot Précoce GM1 and GM6 on SO4/Fercal (1.65ha)

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