Sugrue South Downs Pinot Noir Crouch Valley 2024

The second release of the much anticipated Crouch Valley Pinot Noir.

This English red, from our friends at Sugrue, hails from one of the most exciting emerging wine region in the world. This remote corner of Essex is one of the warmest and driest part of England for viticulture.  

Sugrue's first Pinot Noir from the outrageously ripe 2022 vintage was a great success.  Only 1,000 bottles were produced and they sold out in just three hours last October. Now they are working with additional vineyards in the Crouch Valley in order to expand their production. 

While cooler than 2022, 2024 was still remarkably warm compared with the rest of the country. The clay soils in the Crouch Valley are rich in mineral smectite, helping regulate water in both dry and wet spells, and building body and structure in the fruit. Ripening was long and slow, and they harvested grapes from Mason's Point and Crows Lane vineyards in mid-November. Very late by anyone's standards!

Fermented from fully destemmed fruit, gently extracted, one-third matured in new French barriques, and two-thirds in a stunning foudre called Marion that we liberated from Tonnellerie Rousseau in Gevrey-Chambertin, the 2024 was bottled after two winters at our winery in East Sussex.

Decidedly classical in style, and, dare I say it, more than a little Burgundian, it's scented with cranberry and earthy nuances, and deeply flavoured, with fine-grained tannins and a long, peppery finish. We would start drinking this from late 2026, but expect it to evolve beautifully over the next decade.

The result is a deeply coloured, powerful yet elegant Pinot Noir, rich in damson and plum, layered with spice, smoke, and fine-grained tannins. Fragrant and structured, it drinks beautifully now but will age gracefully for a decade or more.