When discussing the merits of English wines with knowledgeable individuals, who have spent a few decades curating a cellar of note, it is surprising how often the quality of wine from Essex's Danbury Ridge enters into the conversation.
In a way, the winery seems to be have developed a persona that has marked it out as the 'gold' standard for English still wines from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago when a mate arrived bearing a bottle of their Chardonnay. It was excellent.
However, I had never tasted their Pinot Noir. Therefore, an order was placed for 6 bottles of the Pinot Noir from their Octagon Block. There is an abundance of detail on their web site about this 12-acre plot and the winemaking process that delivers this very memorable wine.
Buying the wine is not straightforward. They operate an allocation system - link. Therefore, you have to register for your annual allocation. Not the end of the world, and the online process works very well, but makes the process slightly longwinded. However, it was worth every second.
I wanted to taste this wine with a small panel of individuals and place alongside the wine from Essex, a couple of similarly priced Pinot Noirs. At £65 per bottle, there was not much competition from other English producers. If you head to France, then you're in Côte d'Or 1er Cru territory, and from the New World there is an abundance at this price point.
I decided, given the vintage, that a couple of wines from California and Oregon might provide a useful reference point in terms of quality. Now I can hear a number of you saying that these wines will be very different because of climate, vineyard age, producer profile, etc., etc. However, the exercise here was to evaluate overall quality, and the wines from the West Coast were priced at £60 and £66, I knew them both and knew what they would deliver. One from Au Bon Climat and one from Lingua Franca.
How did the wine from Essex perform? Extremely well. This was an outstanding example of what can be achieved in England, and the team at Danbury have to be given a lot of praise for creating an exceptional wine. From my perspective, creating top quality, niche still wines in England, alongside the excellent sparkling wines, is the way forward. Although this is an expensive wine, it delivers value-for-money alongside similarly priced wines from around the world. I'm thinking here of USA's West Coast, Mornington Peninsula, Central Otago, as well as Spätburgunders from Germany, and of course, Burgundy.
Pronounced red fruit flavours on the nose, with a high degree of intensity. Palate was very closed to start. However, it opened up to reveal complex layers of ripe cherries and raspberries, alongside very fine tannins and balanced acidity. There is a very well defined structure here, and the length would indicate a wine with great potential. Needs another 5 years and then I think you will see the development of an abundance of tertiary flavours that are the hallmark of a classic Pinot Noir - mushrooms, forest floor, old oak, tobacco, mocha - and what an absolute delight it will be. There is a hint on their site that one might be able to increase one's allocation. Serving this at a rather special lunch in a few years would be worth the wait. I’ll enquire.
