When Gusbourne first unveiled Fifty One Degrees North, it was described as “a lighthouse” for English sparkling wine, signalling the quality which is possible from this region. Now, as Gusbourne’s celebrated wine is released in magnum, we speak with Mary Bridges, Head Winemaker, about this luxurious bottling.
For those who collect fine wines, magnums carry a special significance. They age more gracefully, they are rarer, and they carry with them an unmistakable sense of occasion. As Mary explains, the decision to offer Fifty One Degrees North in magnum was very much a statement of intent about the seriousness – and cellar-worthiness – of this precious fine wine.
“The magnum format amplifies everything that Fifty One is about,” says Mary. In this luxurious large format, it’s had longer on lees, so all of those autolytic characters are heightened.
“The larger format allows for slower oxygen ingress, which in turn means a gentler, slower ageing process, so the integration is amplified. It’s a finely tuned, dialled-up version of the classic-format 2016. The team and I are huge fans of our magnum-format wines, and so it’s especially exciting to have Fifty One Degrees North, the pinnacle of our range, in magnum and ready to share.”
The decision to craft Fifty One in magnum was made early on – after all, the structure and ability to age is built into this wine’s DNA. “We bottled the magnum at the same time as the 75cl,” says Mary.
“From the outset, we’ve known that it will work in this format – and it will be something really worth celebrating. It speaks to a certain degree of confidence in the wine and the winemaking.”
That confidence has paid off. While the magnum took longer to reveal itself, Mary and her team trusted the process. “It’s a wine we’ve retasted at intervals, and it felt very ‘nervy’ for a long time,” says Mary. “It’s got a lot more tension than the standard bottle, and that’s because it’s taken that much more time to age and to finally be at that point where everything is singing together.
“It’s been fascinating to chart its progress – for a long time, it felt really far behind the evolution of the 75 cl. You start to wonder, ‘Is it going to get there?’ And then when it does, it’s extraordinary – everything is super powerful. We had to hold our nerve - knowing that it was going to be great, but it would take more time. It’s so worth waiting for.”
That patience is reflected in the technical choices, too. The magnum has spent 92 months on lees, compared with 67 months for the standard bottle, and the dosage has been carefully adjusted to account for that extended ageing.
“This is because with the extra lees ageing, the wine has the opportunity to build more generosity, perception of sweetness and fullness. So it makes sense to pare back that dosage back a little bit to account for that extra generosity in the extended lees ageing.”
The result is a wine of precision and refinement. Collectors will notice not just the concentration and integration, but also finer details in the texture.
“When you taste the magnum, you’ll notice a finer mousse. It’s super-refined,” says Mary. “And you feel more power in the magnum.”
Exclusivity, too, is part of the story. With such a small quantity of magnums produced, only a discerning few will have the chance to taste this wine. “We produced so few bottles, that this is a genuinely rare experience. A true luxury," says Mary.
As for ageing potential? Mary is confident that the magnum format will only extend it further.
“I want to come back to this in 10 years because in some regards it still feels so young… I think it would be super interesting to get to two and to revisit it along its journey.”
In Mary’s view, the wine’s structure, defining freshness, minerality and salinity – hallmarks of Gusbourne – will carry it through. “I think that’s one of the key features that sets English wine apart from Champagne… the fact that that freshness in that fruit remains as the wine ages.
“When we’re building Fifty One, we’re looking for components that emphasise those defining features, such as the salinity, so those elements need to be part of the wine throughout its life – not just the fruit, but that salinity that we know comes from Gusbourne vineyards.”
And when it comes to enjoying it? Mary is clear: “Oh, it’s a Magnum, so you need a few friends, don’t you? Unless you’re a very indulgent person. I'd do something special with it – and make sure I’m opening it with an appreciative audience. After all, a wine like this – it’s a massive treat.”
She advises patience, and – perhaps – buying two bottles… “It’s always difficult with wines like this because you get so excited and you want to try it – but if you only have one bottle, then choosing the right moment is really tricky. So, in an ideal world, I would get two and I would have one and then be really patient with the other and try and compare the memories.”
Fifty One Degrees North 2016 in magnum will be available to members this week, and on general release 1 October 2025.
