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CROUCH VALLEY PINOT NOIR 2024 (CASE PRE-ORDER)

CROUCH VALLEY PINOT NOIR 2024 (CASE PRE-ORDER)

WINES WILL BE SHIPPED IN OCTOBER 2026

The Crouch Valley is the most exciting emerging wine region in the world. What we can achieve as winemakers in this remote corner of Essex – overwhelmingly one of the warmest and driest part of England for viticulture – is nothing short of astonishing.

It's no secret that Crouch Valley still wines are the talk of Burgundy and beyond.

Our own inaugural Pinot Noir from the outrageously ripe 2022 vintage was a great success. We made 1,000 bottles which, rather amazingly, sold out in just three hours last October. Now we are working with additional vineyards in the Crouch Valley, the 2024 vintage gave us the opportunity to make rather more, and we're thrilled to now offer it to you on pre-order.

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 we harvested our 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.

Those of you who have visited us recently and tasted a sample will know just how excited I am about this Pinot Noir. 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. I would start drinking this from late 2026, but expect it to evolve beautifully over the next decade.

£249.00
£249.00
Offer Sold out
Includes taxes. Delivery calculated at checkout.
Format

LIMITED TO 12 BOTTLES PER CUSTOMER
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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

  • GRAPES

    100% Pinot Noir

    13% ABV

  • VINEYARD

    Mason's Point, Crouch Valley, Essex

    Crows Lane, Crouch Valley, Essex

  • WINEMAKING

    Fully destemmed and gently extracted, one-third aged in new French barriques, and two-thirds in a foudre from Domaine Rousseau in Gevrey-Chambertin. Bottled in February 2026.

FOOD PAIRING

This deeply sensual, yet vibrant Pinot Noir has a real affinity with heartier poultry dishes – duck, chicken, pheasant, turkey – especially when accompanied by the bounty of an autumn larder: mushrooms, truffles, beetroot, and pumpkin will elevate this to the top tier.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY ABOUT THE 2022

“An amazing wine. This will be sensational: it’s the best English Pinot I’ve tried.” Jamie Goode, Wine Anorak

"Vigorous crimson – deeper colour than many a red burgundy! Sweet fruit with freshness at the end and a little oak spice. Should settle down to being a damned good drink! Pure, ripe fruit with a real core and drive." Jancis Robinson MW

"Sugrue's humdinger of a 2022 Crouch Valley Pinot Noir is the most Burgundian of the lot with extraordinary soft silky tannins and tangy, delicious dark-hearted spicy fruit." Jane MacQuitty, The Times

“The wine shows just why Essex has generated so much interest among the Burgundians: intensely aromatic and spicy, it has incredible energy, with fleshy, red plum fruit and hints of fennel.” Amy Wislocki, Decanter

“Danbury Ridge watch out.” Henry Jeffreys, Drinking Culture

"I absolutely loved it; a glorious combination of wild and ferruginous as well as smoky and plummy, with perfect weight and just the right amount of edginess." Susie Barrie MW

"Possibly the best yet from Essex." Rose Murray Brown MW

"Superbly ripe. Immediately, it is all about glossy, deep black cherry running into bittersweet damson plum. Smooth, juicy and has plush ripeness, then something cool and mineral kicks in, with svelte tannins and pert, pretty acidity extending the finish." 93 Points. Tom Cannavan, Wine Pages

"The concentration is quite startling for a nominally 'cool climate' wine. Raspberry liqueur, black cherry, a tiny touch of sage at first but then an overlay of developed and spicy notes – dried fig, agen prune, clove, touch of undergrowth. I scribbled down a jokey 'Brunello di Dengie!' just on aromatics – it's going to appeal to fans of heady, autumnal reds." Tom Hewson

"Exceptional fruit, headline-grabbing intensity, a new star is born. Could this be Britain's best new Pinot?" Olly Smith

"Remarkable wine. Thrilling to drink now, but certain to age in a way no other English Pinot Noir has done before. The Pied Piper of a new generation of brilliance for English reds." Oz Clarke

"The fruit is bold, ripe, and punchY, yet comes with exquisite, balancing, pervasive freshness. This is not what you imagine under an English red wine..." 92 Points, Anne Krebhiel MW, Vinous