Château d'Aussières Rosé

Presentation

At Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite, we have always been committed to bring out the purest expression of terroir. Over the years, as we deepened our understanding of the Corbières terroir at Aussières, we saw the opportunity to elaborate a premium rosé to bring to light the richness and diversity of this land.
This is how we started experimenting several years ago, with the strong belief that rosé can be taken seriously and sit at the table alongside the other chateau-level wines.

The vintage

In 2020 a fairly mild winter led to and early budbreak and increased the threat of cryptogamic diseases. The summer was warm and relatively wet, with a warm and dry after season, without any heatwaves, which allowed the grapes to slowly reach their optimal aromatic potential whilst retaining sufficient acidity.
As we moved into the season the advance was reduced and the grapes were harvested ten days earlier than previous vintage.

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. This wine will carry the in-conversion “CAB” label. 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 6000 bottles of this exceptional rosé were produced in 2020.

Tasting

The robe is clear and brilliant, delicately pink apricot in colour with cherry hues.
Overt and complex on the nose with flowery notes (white flowers) combined with acacia honey and toasted brioche.
On the palate, the wine develops a rich aromatic palette of summer fruit (peach, melon, red and black currant) laced with aromas of sour candy.
Round and powerful, this wine presents a great balance with a generous mouthfeel layered with notes of toasted almonds and hazelnuts and a refreshing backbone.
The wine is full with great persistence and hints of butterscotch on the final.

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