Free Sugrue South Downs bottle stopper with any purchase over £100
ZODO MV
ZODO MV
Based on the 2017 vintage, this current ZODO has the form and presence of its older sibling but is softer in its life. Almost 100% Mount Harry Vineyard, a pure chalk site in East Sussex, it is astonishingly generous and open. Granny Smith apples and crushed stone aromas lead to a beautifully balanced palate with vibrant acidity, fine weight and a twist of lemon on the finish. It’s like an outsider brought in from the cold that greets you with a surprisingly warm and tantalising embrace.
Made without additional dosage, ZODO is a sublime expression of English sparkling wine, a wine that relaxes and invigorates at the same time. Perfectly ready for drinking now, it enhances almost anything savoury you put it with, from sea, land, or anything in between.
Collapsible content
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
CEPAGE: 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot noir
VINEYARDS: 95% Mount Harry Vineyard, Lewes, East Sussex; 5% Storrington Priory Vineyard, Storrington, West Sussex. Both vineyards were planted in May 2006.
SOIL TYPE: Mount Harry Vineyard – Clay loam over pure chalk, no flints, 70m above sea level; Storrington Priory Vineyard – Greensand, 50m above sea level;
YIELD: approx. 3,200 kg/ha (2017 vintage). Only 2,500 bottles produced.
VINIFICATION: 50% fermented in 500 L old Burgundy puncheons, without malolactic fermentation, 50% fermented in stainless steel, without malolactic fermentation. Bottled in July 2018.
ANALYSIS: Dosage 2g/L
THE STORY BEHIND ‘ZODO MV’
The project started in 2019 when we realised that as it aged, the 2014 vintage didn't need a traditional level of dosage to make it enjoyable, balanced and harmonious. We accepted the challenge of disgorging it with extremely low dosage, less than 2g/L, and the addition of reserve wine from older vintages. The response to the wine has been fabulous so much so we made a second ZODO based on the 2017 vintage, which is now almost sold out!
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT ‘ZODO MV’
“I tasted two bottlings of the MV Zero Dosage (The Trouble With Dreams) ZODO. The first was a March 2020 prototype disgorgement that Dermot Sugrue expressed dissatisfaction with, though I thought it was pretty good.
The second, tasted in January 2021, had just been disgorged and was admittedly even better. It is based on the 2014 vintage and contains reserve wine from 2009 and 2011, so Dermot classes it as a multi-vintage blend with zero dosage.
Due for release in spring 2021, this is just a killer English sparkling wine that is one of the most Champagne-like in style. It has a very intense, delineated bouquet of Granny Smith apple, crushed stone and sea cave aromas. The palate is exquisitely balanced with fine weight and density, yet paradoxically seems nimble and light on its feet. Razor-sharp acidity and just a light twist of sour lemon on the finish. This is outstanding.”
Neal Martin 94 pts Drinking Window: 2021 – 2036 www.vinous.com Tasted: April 2021
Hugh Johnson - ZODO names one of his 10 "Desert Island" wines, Interview 67 Pall Mall 2022"A remarkable wine of real precision" 95/100 Jamie Good,www.wineanorach.com, Sep 2023
AWARDS
WineGB Boutique Producer 2020, 2021 & 2023.
WINEMAKERS NOTES
Elaborating a fine and balanced sparkling wine with almost no sugar is a huge challenge in the UK. We are extremely proud to achieve this. A Zero Dosage wine is possible only in very ripe vintages followed by a long period of lees aging that then manifests sweetness through the autolysis process and not through the addition of sugar. It is a gastronomic wine made in tiny quantities that is served by the glass on Tasting Menus in some of the world's most prestigious restaurants. Dosage 2g/L