2017 Sugrue Pierre The Trouble with Dreams Brut
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Tasting notes
The current release of Sugrue’s flagship cuvée. A blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, it spends 3.5 years on lees and another six months on cork before release. The dosage is 8g/l.
Critic scores
Average Score
Anne Kriebehl MW, Falstaff
Neal Martin, Vinous
More reviews and scores
60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Fruit from Jenkyn Place Vineyard in Hampshire owing to tiny harvests in our Sussex vineyards due to late spring frosts. Rich nose, towering wine. Unfurling like a storm with the burnish of gold. Apricots and old beeswax candles on a flickering night. Electric light. Such a deep, deep golden wine in every aspect – fruit, texture, energy, glow. Thrilling. Marmalade, membrillo, brioche toast, pomelo curd and yuzu. As stunningly beautiful, complex and compelling as the 2014 was. This will age gloriously, if you can bear to put it away. (TC)
A most subtle hint of petrichor precedes the creamy notions of raw, citrus-zest-flecked shortcrust pastry on the nose. The palate comes in with a serene litheness that is balanced and harmonious. There is something sleek, something weightless about this that nonetheless comes with resonance and depth. Bottle age will make this shine even more.
The 2017 The Trouble With Dreams is the most closed on the nose compared to the 2014 and 2015. 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. Linear and steely but maybe without quite the same weight on the finish.
About the producer
As English sparkling wine breaks out onto the world’s stage, a few names already come to mind as beacons of quality and know-how. Dermot Sugrue’s eponymous label leads the charge.