Sugrue South Downs Rosé Ex Machina 2018

A vintage English sparkling rosé from a long, sun-drenched English summer — the kind that produces wines that come around once in a decade.

A 750ml bottle of single-vineyard sparkling rosé, made by Dermot and Ana Sugrue from grapes grown at Coldharbour Vineyard, on the chalk and flint soils of the West Sussex Downs. The vines were planted in 2005, and were thirteen years old at the time of the 2018 harvest. Just 7,500 bottles produced.

The blend is 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, 10% Chardonnay — with 20% of the Pinot Noir vinified as red wine and added back to the cuvée, a method borrowed from Champagne that gives the rosé its colour and depth. Fermented in stainless steel, no malolactic. Aged on lees for four and a half years before disgorgement.

The name comes from Deus Ex Machina — the Greek dramatic device by which the gods intervene to resolve the unresolvable. Rosé Ex Machina was first made in 2016 from grapes that arrived as a kind of divine intervention from a single vineyard at the eleventh hour. In 2018, the gods were generous again. England had a relentlessly warm and bright summer, with virtually no rain, and the fruit came in perfect.

Vibrant coral pink in the glass. On the nose: orange peel, rose petal, strawberries-and-cream, a touch of fresh viennoiserie. On the palate: red apple, juicy peach, ripe summer berries, white pepper and frangipane, with a creamy mousse and a long, persistent finish. Mellow and welcoming, but with serious gastronomic depth.

Bottled at 12% ABV, 8 g/L dosage. Vegan-friendly.

The 2018 vintage scored 95 points from Anne Krebiehl MW (Falstaff), 94 points from Sylvia Wu (Decanter), 94 points from Jamie Goode (WineAnorak) and 91 points from Tom Hewson (Robert Parker). Sugrue South Downs has been named WineGB Boutique Producer of the Year three times — 2020, 2021 and 2023.

For dinner, not just an aperitif. Roast turbot. Charcuterie, particularly cured beef. A plate of Sussex strawberries. A wine that improves with cellaring — drink now to 2032.

75cl. Please drink responsibly.