In 2021 we made our first rosé (I use the term loosely) from the Nikau Pinot vineyard. I’ve long had a love for light pink wines and have made many under the Momento Mori label.
Having the chance to make this style from the same fruit each season has been educational and a lot of fun.
We dedicated the 11 short (30m) rows on the west side of the block to make this wine from each year.
The goal being to show the nuance and character of the site, and to hopefully portray the varietal complexities of the fruit, not the easiest thing to do with rosé.
The west rows get the sunshine last and lose the sunlight first so the fruit always shows a slightly higher and fresher acidity from the other side of the same block. The soils are the same of course and comparing the Rosé and the Home Block Pinot Noir you can really see the site specific characters in both.
The fruit was picked early morning while still fresh and cool and was then immediately hand sorted and hand destemmed into an open tub. It then rested overnight in our cool room until the next morning when it was pulled out and pressed so the cool juice could begin a slow ferment.
Elevage was in a small 500L stainless steel tank for 10 months after which it was bottled by hand off of full solids. It has since had more than 2 years resting in bottle and is a very resolved wine.
It is a beautiful translucent pink in colour and has a wildly complex nose. It has so many similarities with the Pinot, it’s quite serious really with great structure and layer upon layer of complexity.
