Sugrue Rose ex Machina Sparkling Wine, Sussex, England – 2016

From their Jenkins Place vineyard in West Sussex,  planted in 2004 on chalk with green sand. 50% Pinot Noir, 20% Meunier, 30% Chardonnay. 20% still red Pinot Noir added. 66 months on the lees. Dosage 9 g/l . 

A pale, pink-orange hue. With almost a decade since the vintage, this has taken on the aromatics of good, albeit light red Burgundy: high-definition red berry fruit, delicate pastry notes, sous bois, truffles and dried petals. Soft, pin-prick bubbles add creamy texture and weight in this intellectual and deeply stimulating sparkling rosé. Like a fine red Burgundy with scintillatingly crisp  english fizz!

Reviews
“Both orange peel and red apples figure on the nose, alongside a subtle hint of fresh Viennoiserie. The palate strikes immediately with its effortlessness: there is that lovely balance between juicy freshness and mellow ripeness that you get in red apples. The slender body fizzes away with tiniest bubbles, lending creaminess and gentleness, expressing serenity, beauty and depth. Very elegant, lovely now, certain to evolve into a grandiose and gastronomic rosé.” 95 Points. Anne Krebiehl MW, Falstaff

“Pretty explosive! The intensity of this wine is like a shock that tears your heart in two. A jolt of electricity. At first, it’s just the raw shock. The fractal acidity. A bullet. The taste of blood. Then it spins slowly on its axis, angular, piercing, stellated symmetry. Chiselled strawberry, glaciated redcurrant, iodine-stained rose petals, a whip-crack of sumac-sharp spice. The bubbles are bold, tight on the draw, loose-laced on the retreat. The finish is salty, defiant, howling at convention, and if that dosage wasn’t written on the back label, I’d have told you this was Brut Zero. A wine that needs to be taken seriously, paired with serious food,  interrogated.” 17 Points. Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com