2023 Rosé

Description

The Real Review rated our 2023 Rose the 4^th Best Rose in 2023 in Victoria.  Congratulations Mark!

Tasting Notes

A blend of 80% Shiraz and 20% Merlot fermented in old French oak barrels has become a successful and repeated combination at Sanguine.  Pale pink salmon color with ripe red apple and a background of florals and leafiness. Shiraz offers up all the sweetness and fruit whilst the Merlot gives up the floral, leafy aromas and helps dry out and freshen the finish.  Enjoy this as a young wine whilst it remains fresh and bright.  Winemaker, Mark Hunter

Vintage Overview

The difficult 2011 and 2017 vintages come to mind when reflecting on the 2023 vintage. Well above average rainfall throughout late winter, spring and the first 2 months of summer caused havoc on the vineyard. Downy mildew, which loves wet weather, was difficult to keep in check with organic sprays. Unfortunately, the alternate varieties like Tempranillo and Grenache were susceptible to uncontrolled mildew but as usual Shiraz was characteristically resilient to the wet as it is to the heat. Chardonnay was also successful in surviving the onslaught and along with Shiraz produced an excellent crop with great color and intensity, so like the 2017 vintage some great wines will come from some difficult conditions.

The Vineyard

Our boutique vineyard and winery is a family enterprise intent on making concentrated, sophisticated and complex wines inspired by our unique Heathcote terroir, a fault line of ancient Cambrian red rock pulverised over 510 million years into soil.

We have utilised the vertical shoot positioning trellis system to open up the canopy, reduce the risk of disease and expose bunches to direct sun light for ripening. The vines are cane pruned to a single fruiting wire with a maximum 20 buds per vine. Crop levels are naturally low and hence bunch thinning is generally not required and irrigation kept to a minimum with some blocks unirrigated.

To conserve the natural balance within the soils and hence the overall health of the vines, we aim to minimise the use of chemicals. It is our practice to utilise organic principles in the first instance such as organic fertilisers and mulching to control weed growth and then if absolutely necessary, use small amounts of chemicals to target specific parts of the vineyard.

The Winemaking

We utilise traditional winemaking practices that are labour intensive but within a modern understanding of its ways. Carefully selected parcels of Shiraz and Merlot grapes are picked very early in the season to ensure a well-balanced and fresh Rosé. With the blend of Shiraz 80% and Merlot 20% the grapes are lightly whole bunch pressed into aged French oak barrels and naturally fermented. The resulting wine then spends another 4 months in barrel on lees to help soften the wine

Awards

• The Real Review rated our 2023 Rose the 4^th Best Rose in 2023 in Victoria
• 4 Stars / Top Rated – The Real Review

Recipes

Click on images to view recipes