English White Wines
Sugrue South Downs Bonkers Chardonnay MV (Sur lie) V2
Rich, creamy and savoury with a nutty, honeyed complexity from its elevage in large and small barrels, old and new
That’s ‘Bonkers zombie robot alien monsters from the future ate my brain’ to you!
Bonkers began as an embryo of an idea in the perfect 2022 vintage. Representing Sugrue’s unique take on English still Chardonnay, it employs a range of traditional and experimental winemaking techniques – fermentation in oak, ageing under flor, controlled oxidation, and blending vintages – as well as a drop of Irish humour.
A blend of 2022, 2023, and 2024, Bonkers V2 is a purer, more elegant, and salty expression of Chardonnay, but with that same patina of oak and deliciously creamy texture that you and the critics adored about V1. Crafted with even greater longevity in mind, we can’t wait to see how V2 develops over time.
So pure, so à point it almost floats out of the glass. Chalk and citrus aromatics are threaded with richer notes of oak spice and brioche. Creamy in texture, it has a long, tapering, and deliciously salty, Chablis-meets-Sussex finish. Give this plenty of air and time and it will pay dividends.
The solera lives on. So it goes.
It is little exaggeration to say that Dermot Sugrue is the most renowned winemaker working in the UK. His storied CV includes stints at Nyetimber and Wiston, as well as experience in Bordeaux. In 2006, Sugrue planted a small site at the foot of the South Downs in West Sussex, and named it Storrington Priory Vineyard. Seven years later, ‘The Trouble with Dreams’ from the 2009 vintage was released, rapidly gaining critical acclaim. The staggering quality of the next two vintages earned Sugrue South Downs a cult-like following, which grows to this day. This Chardonnay is his first still wine.
