Description
Solera-aged English Chardonnay - the newest release by Dermot Sugrue. Chardonnay is grown on chalk and flint soils, primarily from Mount Harry and Coldharbour Vineyards in West Sussex. Aged in large and small, old and new, French and American barrels with controlled oxidation. Some liken it to Grand Cru Chablis, others resonate with Chassagne or even Jura.
Born from the exceptional 2022 vintage, Bonkers began as an experiment— a half-filled barrel of South Downs Chardonnay. Six months later, it transformed into an extraordinarily complex white wine with ripe fruit, wild nuttiness, and pristine character.
In 2023, Dermot adapted the Solera system to the wine-making process by blending the 2022 reserve with the excellent 2023 vintage. The result is "Bonkers", a rich, creamy, and savoury Chardonnay with nutty, honeyed nuances. Food-friendly, cellar-worthy, and undeniably unique English still wine. 5000 bottles produced.
What the critics say...
"A new chapter in English winemaking? Hugely distinctive!" Jancis Robinson MW
"Like stepping into a cold midnight at full moon. Dramatic, cut like a diamond." Tamlyn Currin
"It joins the small group of seriously world class English still Chardonnays for me." Tom Cannavan
"Chablis fans, check this English Chardonnay out!” Amelia Singer
"Even better the second day. Like a mature Grand Cru Chablis." Fiona Beckett
"A genuinely civilised, sensual, and hypnotic Chardonnay." Matthew Jukes
"Best wine name of the year, probably ever. Quite delicious." Neal Martin
"A delicious mash-up of old grower Champagne, Chassagne, Chablis on speed and Jura." Peter Richards MW & Susie Barrie MW
"This new barrique barrel-aged, multi-vintage Chardonnay is our finest white wine: an intense, flinty, utterly delicious Grand Cru Chablisesque mouthful." Jane MacQuitty
"I was expecting something remarkable and I got it ... It's like a palimpsest: complex but also luminous." Victoria Moore
Bonkers by name. Zombie Robot Alien Monster Chardonnay by nature. So it goes.
