Trouble With Dreams, 2020 - Sugrue South Downs
Traditional Method | Chardonnay & Pinot Noir | East & West Sussex
Precision and poise define this standout 2020 vintage. On the nose: green apple, lemon zest, and toasted brioche, with subtle flinty minerality. The palate is taut and vibrant, with fine mousse, layered citrus, orchard fruit, and a creamy autolytic depth from extended lees ageing. Long, saline finish with excellent structure.
Within the wine making process 50% of the wine was aged in 500 Litre Burgundy barrels of various ages, whilst the other 50% fermented in stainless steel, with no malolactic fermentation.
Drink with: By itself, as an excellent aperitif but also alongside oysters, shellfish, or other briny seafood. In time the complexity it develops in the bottle will stand up to richer food such as Fish & Chips, for the ultimate high-low pairing.
60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir
12% abv.
The Story behind the Trouble With Dreams from Dermot & Ana:
It was a bit of divine inspiration that led to this exceptional wine. The monastic order of Catholic priests at Our Lady of England Priory in Storrington West Sussex looked out one day and realised that the land they had could have potential for planting vines. Father Paul McMahon reached out to Dermot with a proposition to plant and nurture a small vineyard at the foot of the South Downs and make wine for the priests. Dermot, always having an eye on the future, spoke with Father McMahon and told him that he’d love to plant a vineyard and make wine for the priests, and perhaps in return, he could take a percentage of the grapes to create his own wine. The delighted Father McMahon agreed immediately.
The grapes were a great success, such a success that the birds flying over the vineyard devoured them all, thus ending the hopes of a 2008 vintage. All their dreams, it seemed, at that point at least, were, quite literally, away with the birds. ‘That’s the trouble with dreams’, demurred Father McMahon, but undeterred, and seeing the great potential to make a single vineyard wine, Dermot pressed on.
The first release from the Sugrue South Downs was a 2009 vintage. The now greedy-bird-protected grapes were another great success. The priest’s statement had always stuck with Dermot though, and when the first bottles of wine were produced, they were named after the quiet musing of Father McMahon. ‘The Trouble with Dreams’ 2009 vintage went on sale in 2013 and rapidly gained critical acclaim.
