Sugrue ‘The Trouble With Dreams’ – two versions of the same English sparkling wine
Dermot Sugrue is one of the most respected sparkling winemakers in the UK. He was winemaker at Nyetimber for a while (2003-2006), and then moved to Wiston. He also makes his own wines: they used to be called Sugrue Pierre, but since a divorce the name has changed to Sugrue South Downs.
Sugrue won WineGB Boutique Producer of the Year 2020, and Wiston Estate won WineGB Winery of the Year 2020 and 2018. These two sparkling wines show two sides to the same base wine: one has a dosage of 6 g/l while the other is zero dosage.
Sugrue The Trouble With Dreams #ZODO Zero Dosage 2014 South Downs, England
12% alcohol. 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, half in old barrels, half in tank. This is lively and bright with keen lemony acidity, but it doesn’t miss the dosage at all. There’s some nutty, toasty richness, a bit of apple and pear, and linear citrus fruit. Has harmony and balance and a real delicacy. This is so lovely: has richness but also freshness. 93/100
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Sugrue The Trouble With Dreams Cuvée Brut 2014 South Downs, England
12% alcohol. 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, half in old barrels, half in tank. Dosage 6 g/l. This has real depth to it. There’s apple, pear and citrus, with some nut and toast notes, and great balance. There’s richness here with a nice density in the mouth. Complex and balanced with good concentration of flavour. This is an impressive wine in a rich style. 93/100 (the 2014 is no longer available, but Dermot says a new disgorgement of the 2015 will soon be available on their website)
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
Website: https://www.dermotsugrue.com/
