2023 Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Noir Rosé
$25.00
TASTING NOTE
Colour / Appearance: Pale salmon-pink colour.
Aroma / Bouquet: Fresh and vibrant with Summer berry, floral aromas and gentle spicy notes.
Palate: Light to medium bodied, this wine bursts with pure, juicy Summer fruit flavours of strawberry, raspberry and watermelon. There is a touch of spice in support. The wine is deliciously fresh and flavoursome, and has a dry, persistent finish.
Cellaring: Although delicious to drink now, this wine should age gracefully for another 2-3 years if cellared carefully. Serve lightly chilled.
Food Match: This is a dry Rosé suited to pairing with food. Try serving with smoked fish, pâtés, or fresh green salads.
Serve: Lightly chilled.
WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 12.7%
Residual Sugar: 1.1 g/L
Titratable Acidity: 6.6 g/L
pH: 3.29
VITICULTURE & VINIFICATION
Grape Growing: The fruit was sourced from two estate vineyards - 23% from Pauls Road (Rapaura) and 77% from Little Alfred (Southern Valleys). The vines were trained to a mixture of 2 cane and spur pruned vertical shoot position design. Vines were thoughtfully managed, with open canopies and prudent crop thinning helping to create fully ripe, clean fruit come harvest time.
Climate: The growing season started with soil moisture at capacity following a wet winter. Flowering conditions in November and December were uneven across Marlborough with some sub-regions achieving a good set and crop load and others below average. Vigilance around disease pressure was paramount, with regular rain events, unusual humidity and warm nights in December and January. Day temperatures were cool, delaying the vine’s physiological advancement. Marlborough breathed a sigh of relief as cyclone Gabrielle minimally impacted the region in February, while wreaking havoc through much of the North Island. The season turned a corner for in early March with a return to cool nights and sunnier conditions allowing us to delay harvest, resulting in fruit that reached good sugar levels with attractive flavours, while disease levels remained low. Fruit condition remained very good through until the end of harvest.
Harvest Date: Multiple pick dates from 14th of March to 1st of April 2023.
Winemaking: The fruit was machine-harvested, destemmed, and pressed at the winery to ensure the desired level of colour and flavour extraction. Using only the early ‘free run’ juice, fermentation was at cool temperatures with selected yeast to create a wine with pure fruit flavours and freshness.
ACCOLADES
- 2024 Sam Kim Wine Orbit, 93 points (5 stars).
- 2024 Sakura Japan Womens' Wine Awards, Silver.
