1 5

ZODO MV

ZODO MV

Hot off the press: We're thrilled that ZODO has been listed in Decanter's "Wines of the Year" 2024, winning 96 points.

Made only in exceptional vintages, ZODO is our zero dosage (i.e. no added sugar) cuvée. Based on the 2017 vintage, this current iteration has the form and presence of its older siblings, but with a softer and more approachable character.

Almost entirely comprising fruit from Mount Harry vineyard – a pure chalk site in East Sussex – ZODO is astonishingly generous and open. Granny Smith apples and crushed stone aromas lead to a beautifully balanced palate with vibrant acidity, fine weight, and a twist of lemon on the finish. We love to drink it with oysters or crab dishes.

ZODO was named as one of legendary wine critic Hugh Johnson’s Top 10 “Desert Island” wines.

MultiAward
£351.00
£351.00
Sale Sold out
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
Please Choose
View full details

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

CEPAGE: 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot noir

VINEYARDS: 95% Mount Harry Vineyard, Lewes, East Sussex; 5% Storrington Priory Vineyard, Storrington, West Sussex. Both vineyards were planted in May 2006.

SOIL TYPE: Mount Harry Vineyard – Clay loam over pure chalk, no flints, 70m above sea level; Storrington Priory Vineyard – Greensand, 50m above sea level;

YIELD: approx. 3,200 kg/ha (2017 vintage). Only 2,500 bottles produced.

VINIFICATION: 50% fermented in 500 L old Burgundy puncheons, without malolactic fermentation, 50% fermented in stainless steel, without malolactic fermentation. Bottled in July 2018.

ANALYSIS: Dosage 2g/L

THE STORY BEHIND ‘ZODO MV’

The idea for ZODO started in 2019 when we realised that, as it aged, the 2014 vintage of The Trouble with Dreams didn't require a traditional level of dosage. We rose to the challenge, disgorging the wine with an extremely low dosage – less than 2g/L – and the addition of reserve wine from older vintages. The response to the initial release was so positive that we have made ZODO a permanent fixture in our range.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

“Based on the 2017 vintage. Toasty and savoury on the nose, with yoghurt, lemon tart and marzipan complexity. Zingy acidity leads to a textured, generous palate of lemon curd, golden apple and white pepper spices. Complex and long, exuding crushed hazelnuts and red apple peel on a saline finish.” 96 Points, Sylvia Wu, Decanter, January 2025

“This is just a killer English sparkling wine that is one of the most Champagne-like in style. It has a very intense, delineated bouquet of Granny Smith apple, crushed stone and sea cave aromas. The palate is exquisitely balanced with fine weight and density, yet paradoxically seems nimble and light on its feet. Razor-sharp acidity and just a light twist of sour lemon on the finish. This is outstanding." 94 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous, April 2021

"A remarkable wine of real precision." Hugh Johnson names ZODO as one of his 10 "Desert Island" wines in an interview with 67 Pall Mall.

"Lovely complexity and intensity, with linear citrus fruit and fine spices. Lovely intensity and precision with a tapering lemony finish. Very fine and linear with great precision. A remarkable wine of real precision." 95 Points, Jamie Goode, WineAnorak, September 2023

WINEMAKERS NOTES

Elaborating a fine and balanced sparkling wine with almost no added sugar is a huge challenge in the UK, so we are extremely proud to have achieved it. A zero dosage wine is possible only in very ripe vintages, followed by a long period of lees aging that then manifests its 'sweetness' through the autolysis process and not through the addition of sugar. ZODO is a gastronomic wine made in tiny quantities that is served by the glass on tasting menus in some of the world's most prestigious restaurants. Dermot Sugrue