England: Danbury Ridge - Solstice, Crouch Valley (Vegan-friendly)

Alex's Producer Profile on Danbury Ridge.

An astonishing multi-vintage blend of Pinot Noir (70%), Chardonnay (20%) and Pinot Meunier (10%). 12.5% alcohol.

"Simply stunning. It's rich and golden and just insanely complex. It’s irresistibly drinkable...a new dimension for English sparkling" - Masters of Wine Susie Barrie & Peter Richards, The Wine Blast Podcast.

"Ripe and round on the palate with a nice tension between richness, fruit and acidity. Notes of toffee, baked goods, walnuts and spices. Hints of sherry. Very long. England’s answer to Krug" - Henry Jeffreys, Wine Writer, jancisrobinson.com.

94/100 (Classic, benchmark, truly exceptional) - Dr Jamie Goode, Wine Scientist, Wine Anorak.com.

I was a member of the team that disgorged some bottles of this. Prior to release, it was then given another full year of ageing in bottle after disgorging in September 2023.

Disgorging being the process where the yeast lees - dead yeast cells resulting from the second fermentation in bottle - are removed (by freezing the neck of bottles where the lees have collected after the bottles have been riddled) and the bottles topped up with what's known as the dosage (a small amount of wine and, often but not always, sugar). In the case of Danbury Ridge, the dosage consists of Chardonnay that has been barrel-aged for a long time. 

Grapes are handpicked and whole cluster pressed in a Coquard PAI (the Rolls Royce of presses used for the best sparkling wines). The musts receive no sulphur dioxide, fining, or enzymatic treatments during a very short settling period, which are then transferred to about 90% old neutral oak barriques and 10% young oak barriques. After the primary ferment, the barrels are turned for up to 6 months without any topping, which are then blended with a proportion of foudre-aged wines from Danbury Ridge's perpetual Solera reserve.

This wine is thus made up of barrel-fermented wines from the 2019 vintage (75%), along with reserve wines from the 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages aged together in a large 2,500-litre wooden cask called a ‘foudre’. Only 3,000 bottles produced. 

This long ageing has resulted in a heady, textured, nutty, mature-tasting sparkling, made with considerably riper fruit than many sparkling wines. Solstice therefore isn’t your typical aperitif-style fizz, it’s rich and full-bodied yet refined, distinctive and still refreshing, and drinking beautifully right now. It will also be capable of further ageing in bottle, for many years. 

You may notice it’s missing a foil - this is a conscious decision as foils are incredibly wasteful things. 

Food Pairing:

Possibly more suited to be drunk with food than on its own, with smoked fish canapes, mackerel pâté, lobster, crab, scallops, salmon or trout, or with aged soft cheeses. Wonderful, too, with Eggs Benedict!

What the experts say:

"Simply stunning. It's rich and golden and just insanely complex. It’s irresistibly drinkable...a new dimension for English sparkling" - Masters of Wine Susie Barrie & Peter Richards, The Wine Blast Podcast.

"Markedly gentle bead. Bone-dry finish. Dosage is well judged. No hint of excess sweetness. Well done!" - Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine.

"Ripe and round on the palate with a nice tension between richness, fruit and acidity. Notes of toffee, baked goods, walnuts and spices. Hints of sherry. Very long. England’s answer to Krug" - Henry Jeffreys, Wine Writer, jancisrobinson.com.

94/100 (Classic, benchmark, truly exceptional) - Dr Jamie Goode, Wine Scientist, Wine Anorak.com

94/100 "a multi-vintage blend of barrel-fermented Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. Complex notes of hay, lemon rind, honey-drizzled apples and decomposing autumn leaves. Luminous, vibrant and layered palate, with 4.8g/L dosage balanced by bright acidity" - Victoria Daskal, Decanter Magazine's "Weekend Wines", April 2026. See Photo Below.

92/100 (Outstanding: A wine of exceptional complexity and character): "A great deal of thought and patience went into Danbury Ridge’s first sparkling wine, largely due to Essex’s forward, ripe fruit profile compared to most fruit used for English sparkling. The end result is very much set apart in style from most of its peers. The NV Solstice (first edition) is based on the 2019 harvest, with 25% from a perpetual reserve kept in foudre. It sets the ripe apricot kernel, dried pear and lemon barley fruit against darker, spicier tones of plum and roasted nuts, playing on some oxidative savory and vinous, food-friendly flavor saturation while teasing out a subtle bittersweet length" - Tom Newson, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.