The current release of the ZODO (zero-dosage) blend is based on the 2017 vintage. Toasty, 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. Drink 2024-2035

I tasted two bottlings of the NV Zero Dosage The Trouble With Dreams ZODO. The first was a March 2020 prototype disgorgement that Dermot Sugrue expressed dissatisfaction with, though I thought it was pretty good. The second, tasted in January 2021, had just been disgorged and was admittedly even better. It is based on the 2014 vintage and contains reserve wine from 2009 and 2011, so Dermot Sugrue classes it as a multi-vintage blend with zero dosage. Due for release in spring 2021, 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. April 2021

Dermot Sugrue's zero dosage #Zodo is based on 2014 with reserve wines from 2009 and 2011, with 48 months of lees ageing. Fruit comes from his two Sussex vineyards, and it's aged in old oak barrels and stainless steel. There's a lovely vanilla pod scent, ripe yellow apples and a twist of lemon peel, distinctive creaminess, and a crisp, mineral dry finish. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2026
Tasted by: Susy Atkins (at Devon, 03 Apr 2022)
Part of 10 reasons to drink English sparkling wine

Also deep golden colour, like his 2015 The Trouble With Dreams. Voluptuous crème-brûlée notes billow out the glass, a little smoky in a delicious burnt-sugar kind of way – lots of autolytic development here. Not nearly as austere as many zero-dosage wines. The depth and breadth of fruit and ageing flux the exacting, ascetic structure of the wine, but together they deliver dramatic power. Salty finish, threaded with silvery quinine and tension. Needs food – preferably a well-aged cheddar or comté.
June 2021 - Tamlyn Currin