WINES

Rosé

Rosé was once only thought of as fruity and not serious; however we take these stunning looking wines very seriously. Rosé happens when the skins of red grapes touch wine for only a short time. Where some red wines ferment for weeks at a time on red grape skins, with Rosé wines the juice is left with the skins for just a few hours. Nearly any red wine grape (from Pinot Noir to Syrah) can be used to make Rosé wine, however there are several common styles and grapes that are preferred for Rosé.

Learn More About This Varietal

Tasting Notes
Vintage Overview
Vinification
Flavour Profile

Vineyard Composition
Technical Data
Regional Overview
Reviews

Varietal FAQs
You May Also Like

Tasting Notes

Delicate floral aromatics intermingle with an abundance of strawberry and raspberry notes on the nose. The palate is finely balanced, with mineral acidity providing length and a complexing briny character that supports the fresh stone fruit, strawberry and citrus flavours.

Finishing with a hint of residual sweetness, this is a wine that epitomises summer in a glass. Pure, crisp and undeniably delicious!

Vintage Overview

Warm settled weather in spring and early summer provided great conditions for flowering and fruit set, resulting in yields more aligned with the long-term average than in previous vintages.

The increased soil moisture ultimately resulted in excellent canopy development and overall vine health, alleviating any initial disease concerns, and the reduced sunshine hours and cooler daily temperatures helped slow and extend the ripening period resulting in wines of intense concentration and poise.

Harvesting progressed smoothly with the favourable weather conditions allowing the winemakers to hang the bunches out on the vine to achieve optimum ripeness, with picking commencing in the third week of March and completed before the end of April.

Vinification

Pinot Noir grapes were harvested in the cool hours of the morning to retain freshness and vibrancy, followed by direct pressing without maceration to achieve the perfect flavour balance and pale blush colour. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, individual parcels were kept on light lees prior to blending to increase the balance and harmony of the palate, followed by finishing and bottling on the Wairau River estate.

Flavour Profile

Strawberry
Raspberry
Pink Grapefruit
Stonefruit

Technical Data

Alc

12.3%
TA

47.1 g/L
pH

3.43
RS

5.5 g/L

Harvested 16th March - 11 April 2022

Vineyard Composition

Regional Overview

The Wairau Valley is one of three zones – along with the Southern Valleys and the Awatere Valley – which make up the heartland of New Zealand's Marlborough wine region. It accounts for approximately 45 percent of plantings within the wider region. An extensive patchwork of vineyards surrounds the town of Blenheim in the north-eastern corner of the South Island, near where the Wairau River meets the Pacific Ocean.

The Wairau Valley is a wide river valley that follows the Wairau River from the Spenser Mountains in the west to the Pacific at Cloudy Bay. The Richmond Mountains in the north separate it from the sunny region of Nelson, and the Wither Hills in the south protect the valley from harsh weather systems from the south-east.

In the low-lying area along the Wairau River Rapaura and Renwick are the most established zones. However in recent years vineyard plantings have extended further west along the narrow valley floor.

Wairau Valley has a warm, dry climate that is moderated during the growing season by sea breezes from Cloudy Bay. Hot sunshine during the day and cold ocean winds at night extend the ripening period in the grapes, leading to a balance of fruit complexity and acidity. This diurnal temperature variation is essential to the terroir in the Wairau Valley – without it, much of the classic punchiness of the wines made here would be lost.

Reviews

93 points - 5 stars

It's delicately lifted on the nose showing raspberry, lemon zest, apple and white floral aromas, leading to a finely focused palate that's pristine and bright. Elegantly styled with vibrant mouthfeel, finishing crisp-dry and very tasty. At its best; now to 2024.

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

Varietal FAQs

Where are your wines made?

All our wines are made on site in our winery. We draw fruit from our 15 estate vineyards, which means they are owned by us. We built our winery in 2002.

Is your Rosé made with Pinot Noir?

Our Rosé is made with 100% Pinto Noir. We grow it especially for our Rosé wines.

How can I keep the wine fresh once a bottle has been opened?

To keep an open bottle of wine fresh, ensure the cap is tightly sealed after every glass pour. Our white wines and rosé should be stored, cap on, in a refrigerator to slow down oxidisation. For our red wines, keep the wine bottle out of light and stored at room temperature (below 21 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit), or in a refrigerator.

How long will your wine last when opened?

White wines are good for 1-2 days and red wines for 3-5 days if stored correctly.

The classic dry windy weather Marlborough normally experiences throughout summer was this year replaced with extended periods of cloud cover and rainfall, causing some initial concern from the viticulture and winemaking teams, however once ripening commenced the weather settled and remained fine and windy throughout harvest.
The increased soil moisture ultimately resulted in excellent canopy development and overall vine health, alleviating any initial disease concerns, and the reduced sunshine hours and cooler daily temperatures helped slow and extend the ripening period resulting in wines of intense concentration and poise.

Vinification

Select parcels of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah were hand harvested in the cool hours of the morning before being gently destemmed to liberate the purest lightly coloured juice without pressing. Fermented in neutral French oak barriques at low temperatures with extended time on lees to give texture and bâttonage was undertaken on select barrels before gentle racking with nitrogen for blending.

Flavour Profile

Pink Grapefruit
Nectarine
Floral
Mineral

Technical Data

Alc

13%
TA

8 g/L
pH

3.15
RS

2 g/L

Harvested 25 March - 5 April 2023

Vineyard Composition

Reviews

94 points 5 stars
Exquisite and finely poised, the wine shows white flesh nectarine, lemon peel, oatmeal and subtle flinty notes on the nose, leading to a brilliantly focused palate delivering linear mouthfeel and elegant flow, finishing wonderfully long and refined. At its best now to 2025.

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

Varietal FAQs

What is your Reserve Rosé made from

We use Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir from our Estate vineyards to make this wine. We also use seasoned French oak which gives the wine texture.

Is your Rosé dry?

Yes, this wine is made in a dry style, making it a perfect match with food.

Wairau River Reserve Rosé

Wairau River Reserve Rosé

Wairau River Reserve Rosé

Rosé

Wairau River Reserve Rosé

Wairau River Estate Marlborough Rosé