Estate Rosé
Rosé
Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Vintages:
2019
Price: $49 per bottle
Winemaking
50% whole bunch pressed and 50% destemmed. Macerated on skins to achieve depth of color and flavour. Cold settling, racked to stainless and inoculated with a selected single strain for a slow fermentation to retain aromatic expression.
Food pairing:
Sweet and sour pork, Crusted fish and ratatouille a la plancha, Salmon and avocado Maki, Raw beetroot, feta and lentil salad, Moroccan chicken tagine
Vintage report
Warm breezy days, calm nights and the odd refreshing shower were the hallmarks of spring this growing season. This allowed an abundant fruit-set which our team then set about sculpting into perfect balance.
Summer was kind with lots of sunshine, above average daytime temperatures and 22 days over 30C during the growing season. Free draining North facing sites allowed us to capture all that sun while shedding the little rain that fell.
The beautifully separated bunches ripened fully with harvest begining earlier than usual. All varietals across the vintage period were picked in optimal condition leading to much jubilation in the winery.
Technical analysis:
Download technical sheet
Awards:
2020
Price: $45 per bottle
Winemaking
60% whole bunch pressed and 40% destemmed. Macerated on skins with special enzymes
to achieve depth of color and flavor. Cold settled, racked without fining to a stainless steel
tank and inoculated with a selected single strain for a slow fermentation to retain aromatic
expression. A portion was french oak barrel fermented and aged for an extra layer of
complexity.
Food pairing:
Tandoori chicken, Scallops Provencal, Salade Niçoise, Antipasto platter, Hot smoked salmon
with rocket and chilli linguine.
Vintage report
Warm settled weather in spring provided an early bud burst and an early compressed
flowering and resultant fruitiest. Canopies were meticulously nurtured with laterals thinned
by hand. After fruitset we followed up by detailed leaf removal around the fruitzone allowing
the fruit to make the most of the abundant sunshine. December and January were some of the
driest months on record assisting version to begin at least 10 days earlier than usual. There
was a meagre 243mm of rainfall in the growing season, the driest in 10 years. This coupled
with warm summer days, cool nights and light maritime breezes helped to provide wines
which are rich, ripe, opulent yet refined.
Technical analysis:
Date of Harvest: 11th March 2020
Download technical sheet
2021
Price: $48 per bottle
Winemaking
55% whole bunch pressed and 45% destemmed. Macerated on skins with special enzymes
to achieve depth of colour and flavour. Cold settled, racked without fining to a stainless steel
tank, then inoculated with a selected single yeast strain for a slow fermentation to retain
aromatic expression. 30% of the juice was wild fermented in French oak barrels and aged with
regular bâtonnage for an extra layer of complexity.
Food pairing:
Wild salmon crudo with citrus and dill, fresh ricotta and honey crêpes, cherry tomato and
mascarpone tarts, cured meats and soft-rind cheeses.
Vintage report
Spring heralded very early this year around the end of August and mild, sunny days
followed. This encouraged a very early bud burst and early season growth. Flowering was
understandably early in the increasingly warm days that followed. The driest October was
followed by one of the wettest Novembers. This was a great benefit however, as the vineyard
was disease free, enabling great berry cell division and resulting development. A warmer than
average pre-flowering to flowering period gave us fruit set two weeks ahead of usual. The dry
warm weather continued, keeping ripening ahead of schedule. This allowed the fruit to fully
develop in the late summer sun, attaining perfect ripeness in flavour, tannin, and sugar to acid
balance. The fruit at harvest was pristine, permitting our small crew to harvest individual
parcels in optimum condition. Just when we thought 2020 was a once in fifty year vintage
and impossible to beat, it’s likely we did just that.
Technical analysis:
Grapes:: Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec
Residual Sugar: : 2.2 g/l
Download technical sheet
2022
Price: $48 per bottle
Winemaking
100% whole bunch pressed, very slowly, allowing a gentle maceration to achieve the desired depth of colour and flavour. Cold settled, racked without fining to a stainless steel tank, then innoculated with a selected single yeast strain for a slow fermentation to retain aromatic expression. 30% of the juice was wild fermented in French oak barrels and aged with regular bâtonnage for an extra layer of complexity.
Food pairing:
Tandoori Chicken, Scallops Provençal, Fresh Ricotta and Honey Crêpes, Antipasto Platter, Hot Smoked Salmon with Rocket and Chilli Linguine.
Vintage report
Following two very dry years, ground water stocks were replenished during quite a wet winter. Spring came early once again with a strong bud burst in late August. The period around flowering was warm, dry and settled with afternoon sea breezes keeping airflow in the canopy moving nicely. The fruit set very well, allowing us to sculpt the vines by removing fruit to create a very balanced crop load. With ground water supplies beginning to diminish the vines stretched out with strong canopy growth keeping the leaf removal team and vine trimmers busy. But, as veraison heralded the dry weather caught up and canopies slowed allowing nets to go on and fruit to ripen beautifully in the late summer sun. The hot, dry weather continued unabated allowing harvest to begin earlier than usual at the start of March. Everything was wrapped up and safely in tank within four weeks, a record for us! Ripeness, flavours, acid balance and tannic structure are spectacular. It will be a pleasure to watch these wines evolve.
Technical analysis:
Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Download technical sheet
2023
Price: $45 per bottle
Winemaking
85% whole bunch pressed and 15% destemmed. Macerated on skins with special enzymes
to achieve depth of colour and flavour. Cold settled, racked without fining to a stainless steel
tank, then inoculated with a selected single yeast strain for a slow fermentation to retain
aromatic expression. 30% of the juice was wild fermented in French oak barrels and aged with
regular bâtonnage for an extra layer of complexity.
Food pairing:
Chicken Satay-Style Noodle Salad, Mediterranean Sole, Fennel Spaghetti, Vegetable Fried Rice, Cajun Shrimp.
Vintage report
This vintage we took a hands-on approach of careful preparedness throughout the year.
A wetland at the heart of our 6-hectare vineyard helped with drainage during the major
weather events as it does year round. We regularly adjusted the processes to keep pace with
the weather. Canopies were green thinned, kept upright and our overall aim was to keep fruit
weight in balance with canopy, and the ever-changing conditions. When it came to harvest,
we were very selective with fruit, which we fermented in small batches to give ultimate quality
control.
As a result of our meticulous viticulture in the vineyards, we are very pleased with the quality
of the fruit this year, we relish the excitement of a challenging vintage. It motivates us to
be more creative and innovative in the lab as well as the resultant winemaking. This Rosé
is a stunning example and is truly a testament to what can be achieved even in the face of
adversity - We salute you Gabrielle.
Technical analysis:
Download technical sheet
2023 1.5L
Price: $95 per bottle
Winemaking
85% whole bunch pressed and 15% destemmed. Macerated on skins with special enzymes to achieve depth of colour and flavour. Cold settled, racked without fining to a stainless steel tank, then inoculated with a selected single yeast strain for a slow fermentation to retain aromatic expression. 30% of the juice was wild fermented in French oak barrels and aged with regular bâtonnage for an extra layer of complexity.
Food pairing:
Chicken Satay-Style Noodle Salad, Mediterranean Sole, Fennel Spaghetti, Vegetable Fried Rice, Cajun Shrimp.
Vintage report
This vintage we took a hands-on approach of careful preparedness throughout the year. A wetland at the heart of our 6-hectare vineyard helped with drainage during the major weather events as it does year round. We regularly adjusted the processes to keep pace with the weather. Canopies were green thinned, kept upright and our overall aim was to keep fruit weight in balance with canopy, and the ever-changing conditions. When it came to harvest, we were very selective with fruit, which we fermented in small batches to give ultimate quality control. As a result of our meticulous viticulture in the vineyards, we are very pleased with the quality of the fruit this year, we relish the excitement of a challenging vintage. It motivates us to be more creative and innovative in the lab as well as the resultant winemaking. This Rosé is a stunning example and is truly a testament to what can be achieved even in the face of adversity - We salute you Gabrielle.
Technical analysis:
Download technical sheet