When I planted my first vineyard at Storrington Priory in 2006, I had a single ambition: to create a truly world-class sparkling wine grown on South Downs chalk, inspired by the great grower Champagnes of the Côte des Blancs, but unmistakably English in character. It may have taken us 20 years and 13 vintages, but dreams do come true. The 2022 growing season was extraordinary. The UK experienced its warmest year on record, with temperatures exceeding 40°C for the first time in meteorological history. Yet, our old, deep-rooted vines – now averaging 17 years across our South Downs vineyards – were able to access sufficient water through the drought, producing fruit of remarkable balance and concentration. The resulting base wines were forward and complex, with the structure to benefit from some younger French oak barriques in addition to older, larger demi-muids. Thanks to the ripeness of the vintage, we were able to avoid malolactic fermentation entirely and disgorge with a low dosage of just 6g/L. The Trouble With Dreams 2022 is open, bright, textural, salty, and electric, and speaks entirely of its place, its vintage, and its winemaker – just as I dreamt all those years ago.
