Description
karen. is a sophisticated, dry, fruit-driven, aged rosé wine with a uniquely balanced yet complex palate, made from a single icon block of Merlot grapes. Its delicate salmon-pink and onion skin hue reveals at first sight the serious style of this exceptional wine.
Abundant sunlight helps our vines achieve sufficient bud fertility for us to use hand spur pruning with great success. Shoot and leaf thinning is managed carefully during the summer to achieve desired sun exposure which leads to perfectly balanced grapes at harvest time. Bunch and berry selection in the vineyards take place a few times between véraison (the onset of ripening) and harvest. Merlot grapes with a very high concentration of red and black berry flavours are picked in the early morning of harvest.
In the cellar, the Merlot grapes are carefully whole bunch pressed during a very soft cycle. The juice is tasted frequently and when we reach the desired density and structure the pressing is stopped. Then the juice slowly ferments at low temperatures until completely dry.
After fermentation, the wine is aged on fine lees in tank and barrel for four to six months prior to blending and careful bottling. After bottling, this complex rosé will further evolve and gain more depth and layers.
It is a combination of our unique terroir, uncompromising viticulture, extremely passionate winemaking and patient, purposeful ageing that separates karen. from other rosé wines. The result is a well-weighted rosé that boasts a complex character and lingering palate.
Colour: Bright onion skin
Aroma: Aromas of fresh white peach, sliced lime with delicate nuances of orange blossom
Palate & Finish: Vibrant flavours of ripe pink apple mixed with fresh red berries gives a powerful first impression on the palate! Precise and juicy, yet crisp and pleasantly dry with a sexy, delicate mid palate ending in a long complex finish! Nuances of vanilla & spice confirming it’s a serious rosé with lingering minerality, which echoes the rich terroir of Normandie Estate.
Vinification and Maturation: After fermentation (10% in small French oak), the wine aged on fine lees in tank for four to six months prior to blending and bottling. This rosé will further evolve during bottle ageing over the next 3 – 4 years to an even rounder, more complex rosé made from 100% Merlot grapes.
