Château d'Aussières Rosé
The vintage
After a winter corresponding to what is becoming the norm, a few passages below zero with rather mild days. An episode of frost after budburst caused some damage. The months of March and April were well watered, which allowed a good start to the vegetation . The rain left us alone until the end of June, which allowed us to be quite serene in terms of health. A beautiful storm at the end of June allowed the vines to withstand the heat of July and August without any particular stress. In short, even if the total rainfall was not significant, the timing was perfect.
During the harvest, the weather conditions were generally favourable: little humidity, seasonal temperatures and good sunshine which allowed the grapes to ripen well.
The Grenache Syrahs were harvested on 16, 22 and 28 September 2022.
Location
The estate is nestled in the rugged hills just behind the Mediterranean coastline of Narbonne, in the South of France.
Terroir
Specific plots have been selected for this wine, conducted with an organic farming approach. During the entire vegetative season, the vines have been tended with the idea to produce a rosé that would render the complexity and finesse of its terroir.
The blend consists mainly of grenache noir, combined with Syrah. Thanks to the cooler situation of Aussières, our Grenache mature slowly, developing a wide palette of delicate fruity aromas. It contributes greatly to the elegance of the wine and confers its silky mouthfeel. Syrah adds a zest of freshness to the blend and contributes to the balance between generosity and tension.
Winemaking
The wine making process presents as little intervention as possible in order to express the intrinsic quality of the grapes.
When arriving at the cellar grapes are immediately cooled down to preserve their aromatic freshness and left to macerate for a couple of hours inside the press to extract the finest aromatic component from the skins.
The grapes are then delicately pressed with a strict selection. Only the finest batches were kept for this premium rosé and overall, 50% of the initial volume had to be discarded.
The must is then kept for 10 to 15 days at a temperature between 3 to 5°C, we call it stabulation à froid, prior to fermentation.
20% of the wines are fermented in new oak barrels to add complexity to the wine whilst the rest is fermented in stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation is completed the wine is kept for four months on its lees with regular bâtonnage before being assembled and bottled.
Only 9000 bottles of this exceptional rosé were produced in 2021.
Grapes
Tasting
The colour is a beautiful soft pink with cherry reflections, the wine is limpid, clear and brilliant.
The white fruit nose opens with notes of strawberry and a hint of menthol.
On the palate, there is an attack of grapefruit, a fat and ample mid-palate with notes of almond pastry and a hint of liquorice. The long, delicate finish unfolds on red fruits aromas.
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