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Thirty Bench 2007 Pinot Meunier Rosé
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Rating:	Nº votes
Date added;:	01.Jul.2008
Author :	Michael Pinkus - Grape Guy

Description Pinot Meunier is the third grape of Champagne, following Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It’s also a grape that Thirty Bench planted on their property over 15 years ago on a whopping 1.5 acres … so this wine definitely qualifies as “small lot” – only 232 cases are made. Winemaker Natalie Reynolds started making this as a Rosé a few years back; I tried the ’05 and it was wonderful, this ’07 is even better. For you geeks (like me) here is how she did it: 48 hours of skin contact, like she was making a red wine, then she pressed off the juice, like in the making of a white; then it was barrel fermented and aged for 4 months in old French oak. The results: a simple nose of strawberry and cherry leads to a rather complex taste of cranberry, raspberry and a cherry mixture (sour, sweet, black) on the finish. This is a fantastic dry rosé, though it would be hard to pick it out as a rosé in a line-up. It has the colouring of a light red, and the taste … the taste is spectacular. Pricey for a “rosé”, maybe, but I’m pretty sure you could treat this as you would a red wine and could be enjoying it over the next 5 years. Price: $22.00

Notes Available at the Winery and thru WineryToHome

Varietal / Grape Pinot Meunier

Region Niagara

Winery Thirty Bench Winemakers

Year 2007

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