There Goes The Fear Chardonnay, Gutter & Stars 2023 75cl

There Goes The Fear is a single-variety Essex Chardonnay from Gutter & Stars, and the name alone tells you this is a winery that does things on its own terms. It is English Chardonnay made with real intent.

Chris Wilson runs Gutter & Stars from a converted flour mill in Cambridge, sourcing fruit from top English vineyards and working in tiny, hands-on batches. This cuvée comes from Essex, a county quietly making some of the country's most convincing still Chardonnay thanks to its warm, dry climate and ripening sites. The 2023 leans on that fruit with a low-intervention touch in the cellar.

Reasoning from an Essex site and a cool but favourable 2023 season, expect a nose of lemon, green apple and a flinty, struck-match note, with subtle leesy complexity. The palate should be taut and dry, with keen citrus acidity, a fine chalky texture and a long, mineral-driven finish. This is Chardonnay in the lean, Chablis-leaning English style rather than the ripe, oaky New World mould.

Drink it over the next three years, ideally with a little air to let it unwind. At around £36 it reflects the scarcity and craft of a micro-producer, and it rewards anyone keen to explore how far English Chardonnay has come.

How to Serve

Serve at 10-12°C in a white wine glass; let a cold bottle warm slightly to show more. No decanting needed.

Where to Drink It

P. Franco in Clapton, for a natural-leaning list. Sessions Arts Club in Clerkenwell, for the setting. Bright in Hackney, whose list champions English wine.

Food Pairings

Grilled Dover sole, or a wedge of aged Comte.