Bladen Marlborough Pinot Rosé 2019 - 2 $25 ★★★★★ TOP NZ ROSÉ
UNANIMOUSLY AGREED as the best of the bunch, this pinot noir rosé from Bladen in Marlborough has a gorgeous pale onion skin-like colour. Aromas of lifted cherry soda, watermelon and hints of strawberry leaf exude from the glass. Deliciously dry, elegant and moreish with beautiful precision and length. Perfectly balanced fruit sweetness and fine tannin carries this rosé just beyond the precipice into perfection.
The pinot grapes were handpicked in the cool of the morning from the Conders Bend Road vineyard in Renwick, almost two weeks earlier than expected in warm, dry harvest conditions. The lack of weather pressure ensured optimal grape selection. Once safely in the winery, the grapes were left on skins for a mere two hours to achieve pale-pink perfection. When fermented, the Bladen rosé was left on yeast lees for a further two months prior to bottling. This enabled the wine to achieve the texture and length that set it apart from the rest.
An exceptional example of the kind of quality we have come to expect from modern-day New Zealand rosé. 2 / Wet Jacket Central Otago Rosé 2019 ★★★★★ - 2 $29
The pale colour of raspberry sorbet with a hint of cherry on the nose and just a touch of flint provides harmony on the palate. The refreshingly long intricate texture makes for exceptional enjoyment for the imbiber. 3 / Middle Earth Pinot Meunier Rosé 2019 (Nelson) ★★★★ - 2 $21
Made with the little-grown pinot meunier, this is a brighter-colour rosé with great interest on the nose. With notes of strawberry leaf and cherry spice, the wine has a soft and succulent palate and a good balance of sweetness. 4 / Cable Bay Awatere Valley Pinot Rosé 2019 (Marlborough) ★★★★ - 2 $34
Pure and pale with an invigoratingly intoxicating nose. Displays an array of subtle red lolly and underlying strawberry-leaf aromas. These characteristics are reflected in the palate culminating in long, dry finish. 5 / Mills Reef Reserve Rosé 2019 (Hawke’s Bay) ★★★★ - 2 $24.95
Made from Hawke’s Bay cabernet franc, this rosé is a brighter, red-coloured style, with creamy, fleshy raspberry-red notes. The palate is textural with chewy weight and width. A smart example. 6 / Waipara Hills Waipara Valley Pinot Noir Rosé 2019 ★★★★ - 2 $20
Beautiful, bright, supple cream-soda notes with confectionery and fresh herb notes on the nose. The palate is alive. Lovely and long, a very deft touch as the wine dances lightly along your palate.
7 / Alpha Domus Rosé 2019 (Hawke’s Bay) ★★★★ - 2 $18.95
Redcurrants, raspberries and strawberries, it’s all here in this merlot rosé. The nose continues through to the palate with persistence and some fine tannins supporting this serious richer example of rosé. 8 / Māori Point Pinot Noir Rosé 2019 (Central Otago) ★★★★ - 2 $24.95
Pale red with aromas of strawberries and watermelon, both of which are reflected in the palate. Combined with just the right level of fruit sweetness and a long, dry finish. 9 / Weaver Estate Wines Summer Pinot Noir Rosé 2019 (Central Otago) ★★★★ - 2 $20.95
A bright ruby-watermelon colour, the palate is refreshing and a brilliant example of a rosé providing quenching yet juicy sweetness. A very moreish wine.
Brightwater Gravels Rosé 2019 (Nelson) ★★★★ - 2 $16
Hello Sailor Pinot Noir Rosé 2018 (Marlborough) ★★★★ - 1 $19
Madam Sass Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2019 ★★★★ - 2 $25
MKI Zephyr Rosé 2019 (Marlborough) ★★★★ - 2 $28
Providore Rosé 2018 (Central Otago) ★★★★ - 1 $25
Rock Ferry Orchard Vineyard Pinot Rosé 2019 (Marlborough)
★★★★ - 2 $25
Trinity Hill Lost Garden Rosé 2019 (Hawke’s Bay) ★★★★ - 2 $30
Two Rivers Isle of Beauty Rosé 2019 (Marlborough) ★★★★ - 2 $24
Weaver Estate Wines Autumn Pinot Gris Rosé 2019 (Central Otago)
★★★★ - 2 $21.95
Wither Hills Cellar Collection Rosé 2018 (Marlborough)
★★★★ - 1 $26
From the pale pinot rosés through to the rubycoloured and tanninstructured cabernet franc and merlot-based styles, they all showed poise and succulence and balance in the glass from the bone dry to the more generous on the palate.