Rosé 2004

Gold Medal Winner Paris Concours 2005
Gold Medal Winner Vignerons Independants 2005
Guide Hachette 2006 - One star

The red grapes for our rosé benefited from an Indian summer in October, bringing them to full ripeness by the end of the month. No compromises were made in the vineyard or in the winery. The result is fresh, vibrant rosé full of strawberry and raspberry flavours.

In the Vineyard

The year started cold and wet and by the end of April growth was somewhat behind schedule. This changed in May and particularly in June when there was no rain at all and temperatures ranged between 25°C and 30°C most days. By the end of the month the vines had recovered from their late start. The vintage was threatened by hail in July and a total of 112mm of rainfall in August. However, significantly better weather followed in September and temperatures of around 26°C for most of October brought our cabernet grapes to full maturity.

Varieties:		Cabernet Franc (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40%)
Health:		Organic fertiliser
		Manual de-leafing
		Considerate spraying regime
Yields:		Single-guyot pruned
		Bud thinning by hand
		Green harvest by hand
		Overall yield 40 hectolitres per hectare
Harvest:		100% hand-picked
		12th October - Cabernet Franc
		25th and 26th October - Cabernet Sauvignon

In the Winery

Upon arrival at the winery the Cabernet Franc grapes were checked a final time to ensure that only healthy grapes reached our tanks. Bunches were de-stemmed and lightly crushed. Addition of a natural enzyme helped extract flavours and the juice was then rested on its’ skins for three days before being pressed. After settling, yeast was added and a temperature of 20°C was maintained throughout fermentation (which took place in small-volume stainless-steel tanks). Our Cabernet Sauvignon was treated similarly except that free-run juice was ‘bled-off’ before fermentation of the remaining Cabernet for our red wine. Fermentation was stopped just before full sugar depletion to leave a small amount of residual sugar for a rounder, softer flavour.

A total of 850 cases were produced.

In the Glass

Colour:		Light cranberry juice
Smell:		Fresh fruit aromas of strawberry and raspberry
Taste:		The strawberry and raspberry aromas are reinforced in the taste. Good ‘body’ with crisp acidity balancing the fruit flavours. Long finish.
Alcohol:		13.0%

 

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