TN English Still Wines

Paul Dellar

Paul Dellar

Location
Essex, UK
Have been on something of an English still wine odyssey! All drunk within the last year, some excellent examples here - particularly from the Crouch Valley - and whilst there is some variability it seems we really can make world class still wines in this country (from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at least).

Would be really interested to hear about the experiences of others too.

  • 2023 Black Chalk Chardonnay Rumour Has It - United Kingdom, England, Hampshire (28/03/2025)
    100% Chardonnay. From Vining Street Wine Club, Brixton. £53. Attractive nose showing apple, florals, touch of vanilla and asparagus. Medium bodied, quite discreet and restrained, touch of creamy breadth, balanced acidity, medium/good length finish. Very good. (88 pts.)
  • 2023 The Heretics Chardonnay Deluxe Seven - United Kingdom, England, Essex (28/03/2025)
    1 of 2. Bright, aromatic, complex nose showing apple and citrus, vanilla, sesame seed, some chalky mineral. Medium/full bodied, mouthfilling, round, lovely clarity of fruit, touch of chalky mineral and spice, vibrant/crisp acids - this crackles with energy and finishes long. Remarkable, exciting wine. (93 pts.)
  • 2022 Riverview Pinot Noir Crouch Valley - United Kingdom, England, Essex (25/12/2024)
    1/3, under DIAM (10).
    Medium ruby core, pale ruby rim. Fragrant with blue/black fruit - plum, dark cherry - some hedgerow, white pepper and a touch of orange rind. Light/medium bodied, still fine boned despite a riper profile than the 21, darker fruit, white pepper, spice, vibranrt acids, good length lightly firm finish. VGI, may improve with a couple of years. (89 pts.)
  • 2022 Danbury Ridge Pinot Noir - United Kingdom, England, Essex (18/12/2024)
    Tasted at the property - no formal note. As expected much riper than the 2021 - with dark cherry and plum fruit, notes of vanilla and mocha. Medium bodied on the palate, soft tannins, fresh acids, very ripe - quite marked by oak at the moment, good length finish. Needs a year or two for me but potentially excellent.
  • 2022 Danbury Ridge Chardonnay - United Kingdom, England, Essex (13/12/2024)
    1/3, under DIAM (10).
    Bright, pale straw. Stone fruits, florals, just a touch of creamy vanilla, some tropical fruit as it warms a touch. Medium/full bodied, ripe peaches, quite round and layered, vanilla, fresh acids, long finish with a note of sesame. Excellent. (91 pts.)
  • 2021 Danbury Ridge Chardonnay - United Kingdom, England, Essex (04/12/2024)
    Ian’s 2004 Bordeaux (10 Greek Street)    : No formal note but this was on good form - creamy fruit, touch of sesame seed, lovely layered weight on the palate, vibrant acids - finishing long. Served blind (perhaps unfairly) to a group of wine aficionados, obviously no one got anywhere near. Excellent. (91 pts.)
  • 2021 Riverview Pinot Noir Crouch Valley - United Kingdom, England, Essex (17/11/2024)
    2/4, under DIAM (5).
    Pale garnet, wide very pale garnet/mahogany rim. Fragrant nose - lovely pure strawberry fruit, florals, white pepper notes. Light/medium bodied, eleganalmost ethereal, pure red fruit, game, white pepper notes, very fine tannins, vibrant acidity, lingering finish with orange peel notes. Lovely, cool climate pinot noir at it's pared back purest! (91 pts.)
  • 2022 Martin's Lane Vineyard Chardonnay Crouch Valley - United Kingdom, England, Essex (21/08/2024)
    1/1, under DIAM (5).
    Very pale lemon. Floral nose, touch of peach. Odd whiff of something slighaly chemical (hand-soap?). Medium bodied, white peach, touch of creaminess, very clean with decent depth with fresh/vibrant acids carrying a medium-good length finish. Decent (GFE!). (87 pts.)
  • 2021 Blackbook Winery Chardonnay Painter of Light Clayhill Vineyard - United Kingdom, England, Essex (31/07/2024)
    1/1, good cork.
    Pale/medium straw. Clean, fresh nose - apple, touch of sesame and vanilla. Medium bodied, leanish, green apple, citrus, some vanilla and spice, touch of nettle, crisp acids, medium/good length finish. Very good indeed. (88 pts.)
  • 2022 Crouch Ridge Estate - United Kingdom, England, Essex (26/07/2024)
    Chardonnay. At winery, by the glass. Lightly creamy, apple, slightly floral. Medium bodied, well balanced with some lightly creamy weight, fresh acids, medium/good length finish. Very good, well balanced if not overly complex. (86 pts.)
  • 2020 Crouch Ridge Estate - United Kingdom, England, Essex (26/07/2024)
    Pinot Noir. At winery, by the glass. Unfortunately served far too warm. Quite developed, raspberry, white pepper, soil. Medium bodied, a touch gamey on the package, soft tannins, fresh acids, white pepper again on the medium length finish. Decent enough despite the serving temperature. (85 pts.)
  • 2021 Riverview Pinot Noir Crouch Valley - United Kingdom, England, Essex (17/07/2024)
    Under DIAM 5. Very pale garnet core, wide rim. Lovely fragrant nose, strawberries, florals, spice, touch of white pepper and herb. Light/medium bodied, elegant, fine boned with very fine tannins, strawberries, spice, vibrant acids, has good length with some white pepper on the finish. Excellent! (90 pts.)
  • 2021 Riverview Chardonnay Crouch Valley - United Kingdom, England, Essex (23/06/2024)
    1 of 2, under DIAM 5.
    Pale/medium straw. Nose shows lime, green apple, touch of cream and spice. Medium bodied, lime again to the fore, a touch of cream and spice, crisp acids, medium length finish. Attractive if perhaps lacking a little length. (86 pts.)
  • 2020 Blackbook Winery Chardonnay Pygmalion Crouch Valley Vineyard - United Kingdom, England, Surrey (23/06/2024)
    1/1, good cork.
    Medium straw colour, slightly cloudy. Nose shows over-ripe apple, lightly oxidative, creamy vanilla, soil notes. Medium/full on the palate, over ripe apple again, quite creamy, bit of an odd combination, has good length with vibrant avidi5. Not completely sure what to make of this. (83 pts.)
  • 2021 Danbury Ridge Pinot Noir - United Kingdom, England, Essex (15/06/2024)
    1/1, good cork. Served at c14C.
    Pale ruby/garnet core, very pale rim. This is very aromatic, lots of white pepper, underlying raspberry fruit, notes of creamy vanilla and spice. Light / medium bodied, white pepper again but some sweetness too from the raspberry fruit, with a touch of game. This has soft tannins, vibrant acids and a good length, harmonious, spicy, peppery finish. You can sense the struggle for ripeness in what was a difficult vintage (even in sunny Essex ) but this hangs together very well. (88 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
 
I keep meaning to try the Danbury Ridge wines at least! I gifted a bottle of the 21 Pinot and Chardonnay to friends in Normandy, who we stayed with last summer for a few days. They opened the white a couple months later and even his wife, who's French, was impressed : ) Must ask him if he's tried the red yet.
 
Steve Matteo said:
I keep meaning to try the Danbury Ridge wines at least! I gifted a bottle of the 21 Pinot and Chardonnay to friends in Normandy, who we stayed with last summer for a few days. They opened the white a couple months later and even his wife, who's French, was impressed : ) Must ask him if he's tried the red yet.
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I’ve been on the receiving end of a couple of these. Next time you’re over you might get your wish!
 
Totally agree on Danbury Ridge.
Did you taste any insitu ie do they have tasting facilities in the Croach Valley?
Btw there’s a Higham Pinot from Layham in Suffolk which is good, if clearly from very young vines. Owned by the same guy as The Marquis.
 
Neil Holland said:
You should try the Zombie-Apocalypse Baby Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells or whatever it's called, Paul. Sugrue I believe.

Of those have only tried the Danbury Chard but it was excellent!
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I had the Sugrue yesterday. It was excellent. Blind, a friend thought it was a 1er cru Chablis or a leaner style of Bourgogne Blanc from someone like Ente.
 
Some recent ones from me

2022 Chartham Vineyard Pinot Noir - United Kingdom, England, Kent (06/03/2025)
A coravined glass of this. Not much on the nose, hints of violets, herbaceous red fruits, earth. To taste, much more interesting. Good depth and structure, clearly Pinot. I was expecting something light and a touch dilute. More weight and depth than I’d anticipated, light tannins. Nothing like a New World Pinot. More restrained fruit and a reasonable 13% alc. Could be mistaken for a big boned, slightly rustic Burgundy like Fixin. Very interesting (90 pts.)

2020 Simpsons Wine Estate Chardonnay Gravel Castle - United Kingdom, England, Kent (02/02/2025)
Unoaked style, hint of leaf then pear takes over, youthful nose unsurprisingly, quite pleasant. Pale colour, more pear and a hint of citrus, nicely mineral. Acidity is there but is in check, very clean. Light weight overall and at this age the finish is quite short. Nice, crisp white wine I’d hoped for a bit more oomph. (89 pts.)

NV Sugrue South Downs Chardonnay Bonkers zombie robot alien monsters... (sur lie) - United Kingdom, England (11/01/2025)
Bright, crisp wine with freshening acidity. Light apply nose and a mix of apple and citrus flavours with a slight digestive biscuit back note. It reminds me of a decent champagne but without the fizz. (91 pts.)

2021 Cobble Hill Bacchus Special Reserve - United Kingdom, England, East Anglia, Norfolk (10/08/2023)
Very fragrant and with good weight. Reminds me of a NZ Sauvignon Blanc from the 1990s when they were denser than they are now, only with a bit more acidity. Oak ageing for a year has helped. If that acidity could be checked a little with more ripeness this would be quite special. (90 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
 
Had an Crouch Valley tasting last week at our Nottingham Wine Group actually. Very brief overview:

Danbury performed very well and we tried their Octagon Block Chardonnay vs the base one. Both were 2020 and excellent, the Octagon fresher, more linear and had lots of time in hand. That said I dont know if I would pay the extra for the Octagon

After Danbury Lyme Bay performed very well, particularly their Chardonnay.

Pinots were a bit more challenging. I was a bit disappointed with Martin's Lane own wines throughout, and while Lyme Bay's wines from Martin Lane grapes performed a bit better they were more expensive and not as good as the Danbury
 
Russ Sainty said:
Totally agree on Danbury Ridge.
Did you taste any insitu ie do they have tasting facilities in the Croach Valley?
Btw there’s a Higham Pinot from Layham in Suffolk which is good, if clearly from very young vines. Owned by the same guy as The Marquis.
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Russ

There is a restaurant attached to Crouch Ridge (Althorne) - where you can taste their wines but also (last time I was there) Lyme Bay wines.

I believe there is a tasting facility at Missing Gate (Bicknacre/Woodham) though I’ve not yet been - the Heretics uses fruit from there but they do their own stuff too.

You can taste at New Hall (Purleigh) - they also have a picnic area.

There is also a Café at Clayhill Vineyard (Althorne) - but it’s not open every day.
 
alec frusher said:
Had an Crouch Valley tasting last week at our Nottingham Wine Group actually. Very brief overview:

Danbury performed very well and we tried their Octagon Block Chardonnay vs the base one. Both were 2020 and excellent, the Octagon fresher, more linear and had lots of time in hand. That said I dont know if I would pay the extra for the Octagon

After Danbury Lyme Bay performed very well, particularly their Chardonnay.

Pinots were a bit more challenging. I was a bit disappointed with Martin's Lane own wines throughout, and while Lyme Bay's wines from Martin Lane grapes performed a bit better they were more expensive and not as good as the Danbury
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Alec - I was similarly a bit disappointed with the Martin’s Lane Chard - and have a couple of their Pinots still to try. Lovely looking vineyard though!
 
Love the BlackChalk Rumour has it. Their Dancer in Pink is also excellent to drink in the sunshine.

Danbury ridge I’ve tasted a few times and not sure (personal opinion) it is worth the price.

We’ve also enjoyed a couple of different wines from Gutter and Stars.

We regularly buy the Darnibole Bacchus from Camel Valley.

I look forward to trying a few more of those mentioned above.
 
I am trying to taste as many ESW as possible from different producers. I use Grape Britannia; as well as a couple of other places, and they have a large range (no connection etc).

I would love to be able to buy wines from all the smaller wineries but being in the NW it is too far to visit and postage prohibits me buying single bottles.

Would be great to know someone who regularly visits these places who would be willing to purchase an odd bottle and then send them when there are a few to spread the cost.
 
If you aren’t already, I’d recommend getting on the Charlie Herring mailing list, some of the best still and sparkling English wine I’ve come across.

Usually their annual open day in June is the best way to get hold of their stuff but this year they are allowing remote orders from those on the mailing list, as they recognise it’s hard for some people to make the trip. Details coming in May apparently.
 
Paul Dellar said:
  • 2023 The Heretics Chardonnay Deluxe Seven - United Kingdom, England, Essex (28/03/2025)
    1 of 2. Bright, aromatic, complex nose showing apple and citrus, vanilla, sesame seed, some chalky mineral. Medium/full bodied, mouthfilling, round, lovely clarity of fruit, touch of chalky mineral and spice, vibrant/crisp acids - this crackles with energy and finishes long. Remarkable, exciting wine. (93 pts.)
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Damnation Dellar, wine buying moratorium lasted a week.
 
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