2018 ROSE EX MACHINA

TRY ME IF YOU LOVE: Champagne / dry sparkling wine

ABV: 12.0%

GRAPES: 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, 10% Chardonnay

TASTING NOTES: With four and a half years on lees, and another twelve months in bottle, the 2018 Rosé Ex Machina is serene and expansive. Blood orange one minute and wild raspberries the next; juicy and creamy, but with razor-sharp focus – it's tasting better than ever.

PAIRS WITH: Curing Rebels Bresaola! Grilled salmon or tuna steaks cooked on the barbecue. With a bit of bottle age, duck or lamb can also work beautifully. It even stands up to berry-based desserts. 

SERVE ME: Serve chilled. Stick in the fridge for a few hours. 

Dermot and Ana Sugrue make exceptional wines that crackle with energy. They’re vignerons in the traditional sense of the word, deeply rooted in their vineyards and the winemaking, they recently purchased Bee Tree Vineyard near Lewes where they're building their own winery.

Fruit for the Rosé Ex Machina comes from the Coldharbour Vineyard, a 7.35hectare site near Pulborough, in West Sussex, which was planted in 2005, unusually it was planted across the slope, rather than the usual way of up and down. It’s a natural amphitheatre that faces due south, planted on chalky soil with clay and flint.