Wither Hills Early Light Rose 2022

Fruit for our Early Light range of wines is harvested early to capture optimum flavour ripeness whilst reducing the levels of naturally occurring sugar. This lower level of sugar means less alcohol is converted resulting in a lighter in alcohol style of wine. Fresh watermelon pink in colour with an enticing crushed ice blue hue, Early Light Rose perfumed aromas of wild strawberries and fresh raspberries, reminiscent of summer berries is refreshing in style at 9.5% alc/vol.

Established in 1994 and named after the landmark Wither Hills range that borders our vineyards, our expert team grow and craft exceptional wines that reflect our unique sense of place. Complex and full of character - this is the beauty of Marlborough in a glass.

Fruit for our Early Light range of wines is harvested early to capture optimum flavour ripeness whilst reducing the levels of naturally occurring sugar. This lower level of sugar means less alcohol is converted resulting in a lighter in alcohol style of wine.

The growing season in 2021/22 was slightly ahead of the long-term average as far as timing goes and was similar to vintage 2021 in that we had a beautiful warm summer with lower the usual rainfall. Thermometers showed that we only had 7 frost events during spring which is well down on previous years. Budburst and flowering both came early this season and we saw this across all varieties. A warm December in 2020 meant that bud initiation was high and that combined with a warm flowering period in December 2021 meant that bunch weights were high also. Ultimately this resulted in a crop that was significantly bigger than the light 2021 crop and about 5% higher than the long-term average. The early season trend continued, through January, but ripening slowed in February/March due to the higher crop loads compared the 2021. This slowing meant that the ripening period was longer and, in most cases, produced fruit with more richness and intensity. We harvested the first of our fruit on the 28th of Feb 2022. Good weather for ¾ of harvest meant we were able to pick and choose exactly when to pick to get the best flavours from the fruit. A day of rain, followed by 2 days of misty (unseasonal) weather, put a bit more pressure on the winery and the balance of the fruit was picked soon after this to capture the best quality flavours. The slightly above average yields meant that there was plenty of variation within the vineyards we source from and that produced a great variety of fruit flavours for the winemaking team to convert into stunning wines.

Strategically situated vineyards were chosen for this 100% Pinot Noir Rosé from the Wairau Valley. Fruit was harvested at optimum ripeness for a fresh vibrant style of Rosé. Berries were gently pressed, cold settled, racked and cool fermented with selected yeast strains to enhance the unique aromatics and flavors. After fermentation, the wine remained on light yeast lees to enhance palate feel and structure. The wine was then racked, blended, filtered, and bottled to retain & capture the lovely freshness of Marlborough Rosé.