It ain't easy making wine in a cold climate. It's even harder if you don't use sugar. An essential (and much misunderstood) component of winemaking, sugar can be added at various stages to boost alcohol (chaptalisation), trigger secondary fermentation (tirage), and determine a wine's sweetness (dosage). Ever since I planted my first vineyard at Storrington Priory in West Sussex – exactly 20 years ago – I dreamt of producing a wine without any dosage, relying instead on immaculate fruit ripeness and extended ageing. That dream became reality when we held back a small parcel of the extraordinary 2014 vintage of The Trouble With Dreams. Ana noticed that, as it aged slowly on its lees, the wine became beautifully balanced, composed, and flavourful. So much so that it didn't require any sugar – zero dosage. We bottled it as "ZODO" and held our breath. It was a revelation. ZODO soon became a sommelier favourite, included in wine flights in some of the world's most prestigious restaurants. It was named by critic Hugh Johnson – before he invested, I might add – as one of his desert island bottles. Jancis Robinson called the 2017 release "A riposte to Selosse? A real geek's wine!", and Decanter crowned it their Wine of the Year in 2024. This release of ZODO is based on the stupendous 2020 vintage. Fermented in old Burgundy barrels and spending four years on lees, it includes a small proportion of my reserve wines from 2009 and 2011. Pure, complex, and textural yet razor-edged, it is a magical pairing with oysters.
