Stoneleigh Organic Marlborough Rosé 2021

Stoneleigh Organic Marlborough Rosé 2021This wine is a delicate tea rose pink colour. It opens with a burst of juicy red fruit aromas, of strawberry, cranberry and raspberry sorbet which carry through to the palate. Vibrant acidity is enhanced by a creamy texture and notes of vanilla pod. The wine culminates in a mouthwatering finish with hints of white peach. This wine is released ready to drink and is best be served over 1 2 years while vibrant fruit notes are at the forefront. The fruit

This wine is a delicate tea-rose pink colour. It opens with a burst of juicy red fruit aromas, of strawberry, cranberry and raspberry sorbet which carry through to the palate. Vibrant acidity is enhanced by a creamy texture and notes of vanilla pod. The wine culminates in a mouthwatering finish with hints of white peach. This wine is released ready to drink and is best be served over 1-2 years while vibrant fruit notes are at the forefront.

The fruit for this wine came from certified organic blocks in our Fairhall vineyard, in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. This vineyard is in the central heart of Marlborough, which is cooled by outflow from the Southern Valleys, with the famously high diurnal variation that keeps acids bright and ripening even. The soil here is moderately fertile and the breeze from North West winds keeps the canopies dry and healthy. The vines are 24 year old Pinot Noir, grown from UCD 6 clones on SO4 rootstock. They are trained to VSP with 2 cane pruning, which keeps yields low and fruit quality high.

Niwa Clinfo database and Marlborough Research Centre online Weather data. New Zealand had ideal growing conditions leading into harvest with average crops and clean, intensively flavourful fruit with early budburst across all the wine regions. A slightly wetter December ensured healthy vines leading into the growing season and a drier than normal January and February created perfect conditions for veraison and grape ripening through to the start of harvest. Cooler nights in late February and March also helped lock in the natural acidity and freshness to the fruit. Just as in 2019, the dry February, March and April weather prevented disease from dictating harvest priorities and fruit quality was optimized. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris fruit quality was particularly pleasing with an early onset of ripening and harvest.

The Pinot Noir for this wine was harvested on 25th March 2020, in optimal, dry harvest conditions. Machine harvesters were used and then the fruit immediately trucked to the winery for pressing. The sweetest freerun juice was taken from the press tray just as it took on enough skin colour and flavour for a delicate pink wine with red fruit notes. This was fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at a mediumlow temperature to promote complexity. After fermentation the wine was simply stabilised, then filtered to star bright clarity for bottling. No oak was used in the winemaking, as the emphasis was on preserving the varietal fruit aromas. This wine is certified as organic and vegan.

Food Pairing: Try this wine with a warm goats cheese salad, scattered with toasted almonds, or a feast of fresh crab served with lemon butter and sourdough. This versatile wine will be at home with Chinese food such as hoisin pork and crunchy Asian slaw, or a fresh fruit dessert with whipped vanilla cream.