How do you follow a wine described by Erin Larkin as “one of Australia’s greatest rosés”; by Huon Hooke as “a super-serious rosé of character and intent”, and by Decanter as a rosé of “complexity and restraint”?
For sure, the pressure was on for Rob Mann to back up last year’s inaugural release. And deliver he has. From a year that Mann describes as stellar, this year’s release holds all the poise, complexity and detail of the 2022—and then some. The season’s cool, fresh, vibrant signature is writ large, bringing balance to a tick-up in weight, texture and savoury nuance. There’s a lot of wine in the glass—it’s potent, punchy and lightly spiced—yet also a great deal of finesse and structure, and like the great Rosé wines of France, it will shine all the brighter with food (and even a little bottle age).
This year's blend is Mourvèdre (86%), Grenache (10%) and, as per last year, a refreshing splash of Vermentino (4%). The lion’s share is drawn from dry-grown bush vines on the Powderbark vineyard’s ironstone gravel hilltop. With a focus on freshness, the fruit from these vines was picked with the potential alcohol sitting between 12.5 and 13 degrees—when the fruit is on the cusp of full maturity. The Mourvèdre was then pressed using a traditional, ultra-light Champagne cycle alongside a small percentage of bush-vine Grenache and a splash of Vermentino to bring subtle complexity and reinforce the freshness. The wine then rested on its lees for three months in neutral French oak.
“On the notes - fresh fruit characters of strawberry and rose water combine with subtle complexity, including beeswax, Szechuan pepper and oyster shell. Textural and full-flavoured on the palate, yet finely balanced with a mix of rhubarb and pomegranate combined with fresh curd. The finish is soft with refreshing pithy acidity and a bone-dry, briny finish.” Rob Mann, Winemaker