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. Danbury Ridge Chardonnay Octagon Block 2022
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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.
Vineyard: The Octagon Block is the most established vineyard on the estate with an eclectic soil profile. Spanning over 12 acres, most of the vines sit on glaciofluvial sediments of sandy gravel, known as Danbury Gravel, that accumulated during the last Ice Age, and clay outcrops at the lower, southern end. Clay is renowned for producing powerful wines and gravel pulls in the opposite direction. The Octagon Block has proven itself capable of producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that are exceptionally rich and complex.
Vinification: Fruit was handpicked and whole bunch pressed. After little or no settling the juice was transferred to 228L Burgundian oak barrels for fermentation. The wine was then left on gross lees for 18 months, where malolactic fermentation took place without battonage. The wine received another 12 months elevage before release without any fining.
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: 3.21
TA: 8g/L
ABV: 13.5%
Production: 2948 Bottles
Drink: Now to 2030
Tasting Note: Pretty deep straw. Rich but tense nose – rather scrummy! Riper than many white burgundies but with definite freshness and savour. Pretty damned smart. Refreshing hints of tangerine. Already very complete. Sophisticated. - Tasted by Jancis Robinson MW
Vineyard: The Octagon Block is the most established vineyard on the estate with an eclectic soil profile. Spanning over 12 acres, most of the vines sit on glaciofluvial sediments of sandy gravel, known as Danbury Gravel, that accumulated during the last Ice Age, and clay outcrops at the lower, southern end. Clay is renowned for producing powerful wines and gravel pulls in the opposite direction. The Octagon Block has proven itself capable of producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that are exceptionally rich and complex.
Vinification: Fruit was handpicked and whole bunch pressed. After little or no settling the juice was transferred to 228L Burgundian oak barrels for fermentation. The wine was then left on gross lees for 18 months, where malolactic fermentation took place without battonage. The wine received another 12 months elevage before release without any fining.
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: 3.21
TA: 8g/L
ABV: 13.5%
Production: 2948 Bottles
Drink: Now to 2030
Tasting Note: Pretty deep straw. Rich but tense nose – rather scrummy! Riper than many white burgundies but with definite freshness and savour. Pretty damned smart. Refreshing hints of tangerine. Already very complete. Sophisticated. - Tasted by Jancis Robinson MW
