Sugrue South Downs The Trouble With Dreams 2017

Britain’s Boutique Producer Of The Year 2020, 2021 & 2023, Sugrue South Downs makes refined sparkling wines which rival some of the top Champagnes. Sugrue South Downs The Trouble With Dreams is their flagship vintage sparkling. This rather poetic name has a very simple story behind it. The ‘trouble’ refers to the birds who constantly threaten the crops and put the winemaker’s goals and dreams at risk. The wine is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. Part of the grapes were fermented in old Burgundian oak, followed by oak ageing. After the second fermentation in the bottle, the wine spent 36 months on the lees.

Sugrue South Downs The Trouble With Dreams 2017 has an elegant bouquet of flint, oyster shell, pineapples with crushed grains, hay and shortbread. On the palate, a distinct salinity with sharp Chardonnay attack makes the wine precise, pure and clean. Acidity and tropical fruit flavours are balanced by biscuit and pastry tones giving richness and complexity. Restrained and fine, this has outstanding potential for further development.

Open this in UX Builder to add and edit content

Grace Dent, The Guardian:

I’m a big fan of English sparkling wines; Dermot Sugrue’s The Trouble with Dreams is now my brand new favourite.

Steven Spurrier (June 2018):

Dermot Sugrue is the best winemaker in England.

Neal Martin, Vinous Media, 91 points:

This has a chiseled bouquet that is cut from a similar cloth to the previous vintage, showing touches of orange pith and flint, and later, orchard-like aromas and dewy meadow. The palate is medium-bodied with a clean, precise entry and a fine bead of acidity. Drinking window: 2027 – 2040.