Chardonnay
1.5L * 12% ABV * Sussex, England
A lot of the accolades for this wine are surrounding the fact that this is comparable to a high quality Chablis, with fruit from chalk and flint vineyards in East and West Sussex. But as someone in the industry, I'm more interested in the Solera system employed by Sugrue and his team to make this wine. An absolutely ingenious and indeed 'bonkers' way to think about making wine.
V2 is a blend of 2022, 2023 and 2024 vintages - it's elegant, slightly salty, and has a bright acidity that lends to its longevity. This is one of just 400 magnums made, which have had an extra 12months on cork in the cellar and fattened up rather nicely. Perfect with oysters or crab.
"A new chapter in English winemaking? Hugely distinctive!" Jancis Robinson MW
"A genuinely civilised, sensual, and hypnotic Chardonnay." Matthew Jukes
"This new barrique barrel-aged, multi-vintage Chardonnay is [England's] finest white wine: an intense, flinty, utterly delicious Grand Cru Chablisesque mouthful." Jane MacQuitty
'It has the rich, slow aroma of lemon-zested, sour-cream panna cotta turning New York cheesecake as it warms. But the acidity is marked on the palate – the intensity of lemon, the lemon intensity, pushing you back half a step in shock. Like stepping into a cold midnight at full moon when the light and sharpness of air cut your breath from your body. Dramatic, cut like a diamond. I'd cellar this for a couple of years' 17+ pts, Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com (2024).
Gold medal, WineGB Awards 2025