We think rosé should be given as much respect in the vineyard and cellar as its red and white cousins. As with all our wines, our rosé is fresh and bone dry.
We start by allocating a section of our vineyard specifically for rosé and then farm and harvest the grapes with the end result in mind. For red grapes (in our case Syrah) to become decent rosé they need to be picked with a good amount of acidity to ensure palate drive and length in the final product. Once picked (a little earlier than if they were destined for red wine), the grapes are handled in exactly the same way as white grapes – chilled down and then pressed slowly, allowing enough colour to extract from the skins into the juice to create a lightly blushed wine. Some winemakers will delay pressing the grapes by 24–48 hours to extract more colour from the skins. We don’t do this as it risks losing the natural acidity (potassium in the skins binds to the acid and drops it out) and freshness that is critical to turning potential lolly water into a good drink.
The 2022 is a beautiful salmon-pink blush with a hint of strawberries and dried herbs on the nose. The dry palate is balanced by generous fruit viscosity. There’s a lovely drive of acidity leaving a feeling of salty minerality in the mouth. Finally, full malo-lactic fermentation then a full year ageing on lees has built a layer of complexity and intrigue.