March 20, 2025
Today we are back at Danbury Ridge Winery in Essex with Richard Bampfield MW and winemaker Liam Idzikowski tasting their latest release from their Octagon Block, Chardonnay 2022. - Frequently Searched
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Average Review Score: 4.9
Average Review Score: 4.9
Danbury Ridge Chardonnay 2022
Save up to £10.00 from RRP £46.00
Bottles Available:
9 × 75cl - 60+ from 13th Oct We keep some stock in our London Warehouse. Large volumes take 24 hours from our out of London warehouse.
Danbury Ridge was founded by two generations of the Bunker family: Michael and Heather Bunker and, their daughters Janine and Sophie. While walking with friends on the estate it was suggested that some of the agricultural land owned by the Bunker family may prove an ideal location for growing vines. The fields had long been scorned by local farmers for being lean and arid - a good training ground for racehorses over wet winters, but far from ideal for summer cereal crops. A detailed feasibility study was undertaken, and the conclusions formed the outline of a plan that the family expanded upon over the following years. The first vines were planted in 2014 with a focus on identifying Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones which could best exploit the unique mesoclimate. After just a few seasons the vines were producing grapes of a quality and ripeness previously unseen in the UK; surely England's finest still Chardonnay producer.
Vinification: Fruit was handpicked and whole bunch pressed. With no settling, the juice was transferred to 228L Burgundian oak barrels with full solids for fermentation. The wine was then left on gross lees for 12 months, where malolactic fermentation took place. Battonage was performed once, as the wine was transferred out of barrels to tank to give the wine further time on gross lees before bottling 6 months later. The wine was bottled unfined.
The Vineyards: The grapes are sourced from the loamy, carbonite rich clay of the estate’s most easterly block, Sleipnir and Spar Hill, overlooking the Blackwater Estuary. The sites were picked for their ideal mix of London Clay, sand and silt providing rich and deep soils optimal for Chardonnay vine cultivation with excellent drainage and heat retention.
Weather: 2022 was a vintage of anomalies. A maximum temperature of 41.43°C was recorded in the Polo Field on the 19th July, whilst cumulative precipitation for the three summer months, June - August, was a miserly 10mm. Temperatures in September and October fell back to normal values, slowing ripening. Rainfall remained low across September and October. We saw zero botrytis and the bunches and berries for both Chardonnay and Pinot were small. The team had it easy on the sorting table, but the punch downs were brutal given the high percentage of solids. Pump overs and délestage were a salve for aching harvest limbs. Climate is delivering a crammer course. It feels like we’ve experienced a lifetime of meteorological possibilities since our first vintage in 2016. The memory of 2022’s long hot summer will live long in the wines.
Technical Information:
Region: Crouch Valley, Essex
Sub Region: Danbury
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
pH: 3.00
TA: 7.3g/L
ABV: 13.5%
Production: 46 Barrels
Drink: Now to 2030
Tasting Note: The 2022 Chardonnay has a taut and linear bouquet with clementine and apricot. Fresh and vibrant, the wine opens up gradually in the glass. The palate has a lovely texture, which marks it out from the previous vintage, much more weight. With very fine delineation and minerality, it’s beautifully balanced, deepening towards the finish with a prickle of stem ginger that feels more pithy and, therefore, has greater umami that the previous vintage. Superb. - Tasted by Neal Martin
Vinification: Fruit was handpicked and whole bunch pressed. With no settling, the juice was transferred to 228L Burgundian oak barrels with full solids for fermentation. The wine was then left on gross lees for 12 months, where malolactic fermentation took place. Battonage was performed once, as the wine was transferred out of barrels to tank to give the wine further time on gross lees before bottling 6 months later. The wine was bottled unfined.
The Vineyards: The grapes are sourced from the loamy, carbonite rich clay of the estate’s most easterly block, Sleipnir and Spar Hill, overlooking the Blackwater Estuary. The sites were picked for their ideal mix of London Clay, sand and silt providing rich and deep soils optimal for Chardonnay vine cultivation with excellent drainage and heat retention.
Weather: 2022 was a vintage of anomalies. A maximum temperature of 41.43°C was recorded in the Polo Field on the 19th July, whilst cumulative precipitation for the three summer months, June - August, was a miserly 10mm. Temperatures in September and October fell back to normal values, slowing ripening. Rainfall remained low across September and October. We saw zero botrytis and the bunches and berries for both Chardonnay and Pinot were small. The team had it easy on the sorting table, but the punch downs were brutal given the high percentage of solids. Pump overs and délestage were a salve for aching harvest limbs. Climate is delivering a crammer course. It feels like we’ve experienced a lifetime of meteorological possibilities since our first vintage in 2016. The memory of 2022’s long hot summer will live long in the wines.
Technical Information:
Region: Crouch Valley, Essex
Sub Region: Danbury
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
pH: 3.00
TA: 7.3g/L
ABV: 13.5%
Production: 46 Barrels
Drink: Now to 2030
Tasting Note: The 2022 Chardonnay has a taut and linear bouquet with clementine and apricot. Fresh and vibrant, the wine opens up gradually in the glass. The palate has a lovely texture, which marks it out from the previous vintage, much more weight. With very fine delineation and minerality, it’s beautifully balanced, deepening towards the finish with a prickle of stem ginger that feels more pithy and, therefore, has greater umami that the previous vintage. Superb. - Tasted by Neal Martin
Danbury Ridge was founded by two generations of the Bunker family: Michael and Heather Bunker and, their daughters Janine and Sophie.
For Michael and Heather, there really was no place like home, and having spent several years living in Asia they returned to Essex, settling in the village of Danbury, just a few miles north from where they had grown up.
While walking with friends on the estate it was suggested that some of the agricultural land owned by the Bunker family may prove an ideal location for growing vines. The fields had long been scorned by local farmers for being lean and arid - a good training ground for racehorses over wet winters, but far from ideal for summer cereal crops. A detailed feasibility study was undertaken, and the conclusions formed the outline of a plan that the family expanded upon over the following years.
The first vines were planted in 2014 with a focus on identifying Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones which could best exploit the unique mesoclimate. After just a few seasons the vines were producing grapes of a quality and ripeness previously unseen in the UK.
Inspired by the possibility of what could be achieved with expert advice, capital investment and patience the family decided to grow their ambition further and commenced construction of one of the most well-equipped wineries in Europe.
While most UK estates look to Reims and Epernay for inspiration, scaling their activities and ambitions to compete with the vast brands of the Marne, the focus at Danbury Ridge is directed toward grower wines and smaller domaines.
Now, just a few vintages into the project, and that early aspiration is being realised: Danbury Ridge is bottling wines that critics have already favourably compared to some of the finest addresses in the world.
For Michael and Heather, there really was no place like home, and having spent several years living in Asia they returned to Essex, settling in the village of Danbury, just a few miles north from where they had grown up.
While walking with friends on the estate it was suggested that some of the agricultural land owned by the Bunker family may prove an ideal location for growing vines. The fields had long been scorned by local farmers for being lean and arid - a good training ground for racehorses over wet winters, but far from ideal for summer cereal crops. A detailed feasibility study was undertaken, and the conclusions formed the outline of a plan that the family expanded upon over the following years.
The first vines were planted in 2014 with a focus on identifying Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones which could best exploit the unique mesoclimate. After just a few seasons the vines were producing grapes of a quality and ripeness previously unseen in the UK.
Inspired by the possibility of what could be achieved with expert advice, capital investment and patience the family decided to grow their ambition further and commenced construction of one of the most well-equipped wineries in Europe.
While most UK estates look to Reims and Epernay for inspiration, scaling their activities and ambitions to compete with the vast brands of the Marne, the focus at Danbury Ridge is directed toward grower wines and smaller domaines.
Now, just a few vintages into the project, and that early aspiration is being realised: Danbury Ridge is bottling wines that critics have already favourably compared to some of the finest addresses in the world.
Wine-maker: Liam Idzikowski - 2017 to current
Liam joined DR in 2017, a year after he made some Pinot Noir from the DR grapes while working at Lyme Bay winery. Once the Bunker family tasted the 2016 wine Liam made, the family offered Liam a job, with the role of designing and creating the winery we see today, completed in 2019. He grew up in Northern Ireland and travelled to learn his trade in California, Australia, South Africa and the Rhone, working for world-renowned wineries like Tyrrells Estate in Australia’s Hunter Valley and Williams Selyem in the Russian River Valley.
Since passing his degree in Viticulture and Oenology with First-Class Honours, Liam has built a reputation for crafting some of the finest still and sparkling wines yet released by UK vineyards. At Danbury Ridge, Liam has been instrumental in the design and creation of the winery and has full autonomy to create exceptional quality wines.
Liam joined DR in 2017, a year after he made some Pinot Noir from the DR grapes while working at Lyme Bay winery. Once the Bunker family tasted the 2016 wine Liam made, the family offered Liam a job, with the role of designing and creating the winery we see today, completed in 2019. He grew up in Northern Ireland and travelled to learn his trade in California, Australia, South Africa and the Rhone, working for world-renowned wineries like Tyrrells Estate in Australia’s Hunter Valley and Williams Selyem in the Russian River Valley.
Since passing his degree in Viticulture and Oenology with First-Class Honours, Liam has built a reputation for crafting some of the finest still and sparkling wines yet released by UK vineyards. At Danbury Ridge, Liam has been instrumental in the design and creation of the winery and has full autonomy to create exceptional quality wines.
92/100
“The 2022 Chardonnay has a taut and linear bouquet with clementine and apricot. Fresh and vibrant, the wine opens up gradually in the glass. The palate has a lovely texture, which marks it out from the previous vintage, much more weight. With very fine delineation and minerality, it’s beautifully balanced, deepening towards the finish with a prickle of stem ginger that feels more pithy and, therefore, has greater umami that the previous vintage. Superb.”
17/20
“Pale to mid straw. Sweet oak and fine acidity that are almost married. Lively green flavours and a very subtle hint of struck match. Long and savoury – very sappy fruit. We're going to serve this blind to English fizz fan Hugh Johnson and famous Sacramento wine merchant Darrell Corti tonight. Very pretty structure. Ready to love.”
92/100
“The 2022 Chardonnay exhibits intense creaminess on the nose, accompanied by a vivid flourish of smoke, showcasing all the energy of 2022 in that first whiff. The palate is rounded and smooth, still resonating with smokiness on a concentrated body. It needs time in the bottle to calm down. Not in a million years would you put that in England—this is Essex in a hot year.”
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Tasting New Release Danbury Ridge Chardonnay Octagon Block 2022 vs 2018 with winemaker Liam Idzikowski & Richard Bampfield MW -
The Friday Bubble - Danbury Ridge Chardonnay & Pinot Noir 2022 with winemaker Liam Idzikowski November 8, 2024Today on The Friday Bubble with Richard Bampfield MW and Danbury Ridge winemaker Liam Idzikowski, Danbury Ridge Chardonnay & Pinot Noir 2022.
Single Price £42.00 Mix 6 Price £40.00 each Mix 12 Price £39.00 each |
England's Best Still Wine Producer
Single Price £44.00 Mix 6 Price £42.00 each Mix 12 Price £40.00 each |
England's Best Still Wine Producer
Single Price £50.00 Mix 6 Price £48.00 each Mix 12 Price £46.00 each |
Edition 2 from England's best Still Winemaker
