Charles Palmer Rosé 2015

This rosé is made from one particular parcel of the Palmers’ Pinot Noir grapes. The grapes are low yielding Burgundy clones that are of exceptional quality. The wine spends two years on the lees. They macerate the grapes and let them stand in the vat for 48 hours. This allows some tannins and colour to bleed out of the grape skins, which gives the wine its amazing ripe red berry flavours, of cherry, strawberry, and loganberry. It is Extra Brut in style but the richness and ripeness of fruit fool you into thinking there must be more dosage in the bottle. Sparkling rosé and rosé Champagne are normally made simply by making a standard white wine, and then adding red wine to it at bottling. The Grand Marques however use this maceration method, otherwise known as the saignée method. Charles Palmer Vineyards is a family run wine estate at Winchelsea in Sussex. The vineyards on the estate benefit from an ideal climate for vines, with its close proximity to the sea, south facing slope, and its terroir in particular. The lowest part of the vineyard is a mere 5 metres from sea level and sits above a bed of Kimmeridgian clay similar to the Grand Crus of Burgundy. Their vines were first planted in 2006 specifically with the aim of producing a sparkling wine of the highest standard. Production is small and meticulous. Every effort is made to ensure only the best grapes are produced and selected according to the exacting standards of the family. The result is a small and exciting collection of vintage sparkling wines, each vintage unique and characterful in its own way.