Château d'Aussières Rosé
The vintage
The 2024 vintage begins with a significant water deficit in the vine’s reserves. Early-season growth is weak, but recovers thanks to life-saving rains at the end of April. Phenological development is very uneven, even within the same plots. A few millimetres of rain fall at the beginning of May, followed by a warm June that stimulates active growth. The summer of 2024 is not as hot and dry as in 2023, which is good news for the vegetative development of the vines and the ripening of the grapes. Harvesting of white and rosé grapes begins at the end of August, while red grape harvests must wait another 15 days, starting in mid-September. Ripening took its time, but once achieved, grape quality was clearly present.
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.
Tasting
The robe is brilliant, light peach in color.
The nose is a delicate blend of raspberry, grapefruit, and peach, with indulgent notes of apricot.
The attack is crisp, followed by a rich palate that combines red fruit aromas with generous depth. The finish lingers with subtle saline notes, evoking the Mediterranean.
Alcohol content
13,5
Grapes
Grenache noir
: 77 %
Syrah
: 23 %