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Mount Dottrel Central Otago 2009 Saignee Rose
 It
is no surprise that when Roy and Simon McCallum have used Pinot Noir
grapes when they decided to expand their Mount Dottrel range, after
all their Mitre Rocks vineyard is planted exclusively in Pinot Noir.
It is also not the first time that Mount Dottrel has produced a Rose
either. The first vintage was in 2006 and in 2008 won the trophy for
the best Rose at the Sydney international Wine Competition. Every
vintage since then has increased a loyal following, meaning that the
2009 vintage has a lot to live up to.
To make their Rose, Winemaker Carol Bunn, contracted from VinPro
used the Saignee method. This is a method originally from Burgundy
in France, which winemakers developed initially to intensify their
Pinot Noir juice. It is made as a by-product of red wine
fermentation by ‘bleeding the vats’. The term Saignee is derived
from the French verb saigner which means to bleed. When a winemaker
wants to impart more tannin and colour into a red wine like Pinot
Noir, some of the pink juice from the must can be removed at an
early stage. The red wine remaining in the vats is intensified as a
result of the bleeding because the volume of the juice in the must
is reduced and the must involved in the maceration is concentrated.
A Rose like the one featured today can be made from the pink juice
that has been removed. In France the wine made from the fermented
pink juice is called Vin Gris or grey wine. It is also a method used
by many Californian Rose producers. Because it is made as a
by-product of making red wine, it is not made in large volumes and
many winemakers just make it for fun but see the real benefit being
improving the red wine.
Making Rose by this method is not easy as it offers some challenges
to the winemaker. One is that it can be difficult to achieve
consistency between vintages. Another is that there is a careful
balance between flavour and alcohol. This is because when making red
wine, the grapes are picked later than if the sole intention was for
making Rose. The later harvest gives the grapes higher sugar levels
which then makes wines with high alcohol levels, which is not
desirable for Rose. In order for winemakers to keep alcohol volumes
down, winemakers can dilute the juice, which also dilutes the
flavours, or remove alcohol from the finished wine mechanically.
Other winemakers choose to take no action, making a Rose with well
over 14% alcohol content and seems harsh and heavy.
The other problem that winemakers face when making this style is
that the wine can lack the full pink colour that many Rose drinkers
like. Winemakers can correct this by adding a small amount of red
wine before bottling, but if they overdo it, the Rose becomes more
like a red wine with more body, fuller fruit and even tannin.
To make her Saignee Rose, Carol Bunn controlled the further
fermentation with a portion of the 2009 vintage briefly barrel
fermented in older French oak to increase mouth feel and complexity.
The alcohol content is 14% which for me is about as high as you
would want in a Rose.
For me, the attractively coloured Mount Dottrel 2009 Saignee Rose
exhibits delicious aromas of raspberry and strawberry with notes of
cherry. This wine also seems to me to be dry to slightly off-dry on
the palate, and exhibits wonderful flavours of strawberry and black
cherry. There are also savoury oak notes present that would make
this wine a good companion for a mushroom risotto. It has a clean
finish and the residual sweetness is offset by fresh acidity.
I would recommend taking this wine chilled on a summer picnic,
enjoying with a cold buffet or possibly trying with Mexican and
Indian dishes.
© Stephen Clark (reviewed 15/2/2010)
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