Gutter&StarsGutter&Stars Daylight Upon Magic Chardonnay 2020

A ripe, bright and structured Chardonnay with subtle oak influence and a magical grip. Expect tropical and stone fruit characters alongside a tingle of spice and a delicious lick of acidity on the finish.

The grapes come from Missing Gate Vineyard in Essex’s sun-kissed Crouch Valley. Picked by hand in mid-October 2020, this was the last fruit of the season and benefitted from extended hang-time in the cool but dry autumn. One tonne of grapes was whole-bunch pressed then fermented and aged in French and American oak giving it balance and texture while retaining a backbone of rich fruit.

Gutter&Stars’ winemaker and founder Chris Wilson had wanted to start his own winemaking business for some time, and over the past three years searched for the perfect site for a small-scale urban winery in Cambridge, the city he’s lived in with his family since 2013. In 2020 a golden opportunity came up to house the winery in the basement of a Grade II listed windmill less than a mile from the city centre, and work began turning this octagonal cave into the city’s first winemaking facility. The winery is housed in the mill’s basement. It’s the perfect spot in some ways (a 15°C ambient temperature, a good drainage system, bags of character) and challenging in others (low ceiling height, single phase power, narrow-ish door).