Collection: Danbury Ridge

As the name suggests, Danbury Ridge is located just outside the village of Danbury in Essex. The estate lies between the Blackwater Estuary and the River Crouch, both of which have significant influence over the favourable climate for winegrowing in the region.

Danbury Ridge was founded by two generations of the Bunker family: Michael and Heather Bunker and their daughters, Janine and Sophie. From the outset, the family decided that they would aspire to produce grapes that could compete on an international level and be determined by outstanding quality rather than volume. This would require expert advice, capital and patience. The first vines were planted in 2014, with an unwavering focus on still Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones to exploit the unique mesoclimate. After just a few seasons the vines were producing grapes of a ripeness previously unseen in the UK.

Estaurine Essex is smeared with a thick layer of London Clay, but at Danbury Ridge this tenacious deposit lies beneath a significant overburden of fluvial-glacial sand and gravel. It is this coarse aggregate, deep in some places, shallow in others, that makes Danbury Ridge so special. The Danbury Ridge mesoclimate comes into its own in late summer. Ripening does not stall with the autumn equinox. Natural woodland shelter belts, together with the light topsoils, magnify the effects of September sunlight.

The inaugral releases from Danbury Ridge sent the world of wine-twitter into a frenzy, with many declaring them as "a new frontier in English wine" and "the finest English still wines ever tasted." Winemaker Liam Idzikowski (ex-Lyme Bay) clearly knows what he's doing...

This, as do all the releases from 2018, take English still wine to a new quality level. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of exceptional quality. This is a very exciting project.

Collection: Danbury Ridge

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