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  • Writer's pictureJames-Paul Marin

'19' Rosé blend was 95% Pinot Grigio


I been a little busy and it looks like I haven't posted for the past 3 months on this forum so apologies! The reason why is that I have been hard at work on the 2019 Handcrafted Enfant Terrible Adelaide Hills Jacqueline Rosé which has just gone live on Naked this week. The 2019 fruit was sourced from a single vineyard in the southern part of the Adelaide Hills. The 2019 vintage was dry and cool, so once again characterised by an extended ripening season. A very hot, dry summer past making vineyard and canopy work tricky but as a consequence the whites and Rosé look amazing. The crop was significantly down from the previous few years, however the aromatics are up. After 101 different interactions, the final Rosé blend was 95% Pinot Grigio and 5% Pinot Noir. Quite unusual but certainly worthy. Few realise that Pinot Grigio is grayish-blue to brownish pink in appearance, not white like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. This lends itself perfectly to skin contact and the dry Rosé wine style. Young wines made from Pinot Noir tend to be floral and have red fruit aromas of cherries, raspberries and strawberries. When the juice is collected via the Saignée or the ‘bleeding’ method as a by-product of premium Pinot Noir, it also has a bright purple hue and is low in tannins, perfect as a blending component to mask the copper hue from using 100% Pinot Grigio juice. This year as the Chardonnay crop was down by a third, I passed on adding a small amount (usually around 5 %) of young barrel fermented Chardonnay back into the final Pinot Grigio / Pinot Noir Rosé blend to add body and a fuller finish (slightly less acidic) as I have come to do. So if you are looking for a serious Rosé that is feminine, dry, elegant and floral with a mix of wild flowers and dried herbs with a balanced zesty acidity, this is it. This is not you typical sweet Australian Rosé so follow the below link and buy a few bottles.

Please share or leave your questions and comments below and follow me if you wish to keep up to date with my latest wine ramblings.

Enjoy the Unconventional, -JP

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