Domaine Hugo – HUGO 2020
Distinctive apple-skin aroma. Top marks for standing out from the crowd. Just slightly
frothy but admirably fruity for a zero-dosage wine. Long. Really quite impressive.
Especially for such a low level of alcohol. Score: 17.
A field blend of 47% Chardonnay, 31% Pinot Noir, 14% Pinot Meunier and 8% Pinot Gris.
Spontaneous ferment, unfiltered biodynamic wine. Wiltshire produce of the ex co-founder
of Clos Perdus. This was the first vintage incorporating about 10% of wine vinified in
amphora, the rest being in 5/6-fill burgundy barrels. The grapes were pressed in a
Coquard basket press, previous vintages were pressed in a conventional horizontal press.
Most was co-fermented, with the exception of some of the Chardonnay which was picked
later. No added sulphur or dosage or yeast. Transfers done by gravity.
Domaine Hugo – Botleys Col Fondo
This is a dry pet-nat, stoppered by a crown cap, made from the three champagne varieties plus Pinot Gris grown in a single vineyard. Unfiltered. Very pale apricot colour. This smells pretty much like a grower’s champagne, and tastes like a lightweight version of one. Bone-dry impression. Very clean and fresh.
A brilliant newcomer to the UK fizz scene and beyond. Sorry, but I cannot bring myself to say English Sparkling Wine, both an ugly mouthful and dull as dishwater to say. By any standard this is superior stuff. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier and a noiticeable filip of Pinot Gris. Made near Salisbury by Hugo Stewart a former wizard of great wine from Les Clos Perdus in the S of France, and very talented winemaker Daniel Ham. This is all 2018 and evinces peach skin smoky perfume and a convincing round freshness that avoids the jarring acidity of a lot of UK fizz. There are notes of sponge bakery and warm apple with a spicy linger and a tiptoe texture but keeping a sense of satisfying fullness and complexity on the long finish. Biodynamic. Quite rightly UK fizz must be compared to champagne and this is up there with the best but shows a broad big sky sense of open texture I’d like to think may be the signature of Wiltshire. Jancis Robinson scored this 17+ and I can see why it deserves such a high score.
Domaine Hugo – Hugo
2019
It had a silky, seamless fluidity to it…. it’s very classy, thoughtful and quite vinous in style….One to watch.
Renaissance des Appellations
Return to Terrior
Awarded membership in 2023
Domaine Hugo – Hugo
Traditional Method 2019 12% alcohol. Pinots Noir, Meunier and Gris plus Chardonnay. This is complex and expressive with lovely toast and spice notes, alongside ripe pear and peach as well as some apple. This has a lovely limey flourish with nice spice and pear fruit. Long, complex and expressive with amazing depth. 94/100 (c. £50)
Domaine Hugo – Botleys Col Fondo
NV 10.5% alcohol. Second ferment was with the following years fermenting juice in bottle, with the base wine spending a year in tank. It’s 2020 but not declared. Wonderfully fresh and refined with a nice drinkability, and depth of pear, cherry and citrus. Textural and expressive with lovely fruit, but also some nice spicy framing and complexity. Lovely savoury twist on the finish, too. 92/100 (c £30)
Domaine Hugo wins the Trophy for the best Traditional Method Sparkling White at the WineGB Awards 2024 (HUGO 2020 vintage)
