Château d'Aussières Rosé
The vintage
The spring of 2023 was very similar to 2022, with a particularly hot April and very low rainfall in winter and spring. The vines started early and by mid-May they were already showing signs of water stress impacting vegetative growth. At the beginning of August, the vineyard was at mid-veraison and water stress was increasing, with Chardonnay and Grenache showing a better resistance. The second half of August was scorching, but 15 mm of rain enabled the harvest to start on August 25th. Another 50 mm of rain fell in mid-September, easing the end of the ripening process and giving the vines a chance to breathe after a very difficult year. The harvest went on smoothly.
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.
Grapes
Tasting
The wine is clear and brilliant with a lovely salmon-pink hue.
The nose is floral, fine and delicate. On the palate, the wine gradually reveals itself. It opens with delicate notes of red fruit, then expands to offer a generous bouquet with complex notes of blood orange and tart raspberry. Finally, the long finish delivers delicious notes of raspberry pavlova with Madagascar vanilla.
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