Sparkling rosé 2021, pinot noir and chardonnay
A day on skins.
Hill Block pinot noir left on its skins for one day, then three years on lees under the hill. Our youngest and brightest cuvée.
Ember Hill · Pokolbin
Buy the Rosé 2021
Pinot noir, a day on skins for the colour. Wild strawberry and blood orange.
- Grapes
- 70% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay
- On lees
- Three years on lees
- Dosage
- Brut, 7 g/L
- Alcohol
- 12%
$58 a bottle, 750ml
18+ only. An adult signs for every delivery.
Tasting note
Our sparkling rosé, in the glass
Our sparkling rosé is the one people open first on a warm afternoon. It is the 2021 vintage, 70% pinot noir from the Hill Block and 30% chardonnay from the Top Block, made by the traditional method with its second fermentation in the bottle and three years on lees in the cellar under the hill.
In the glass it is the pale coral of blood orange flesh, with a lively, fine bead. The nose is wild strawberry first, then blood orange zest and a faint warmth of bread from the lees. It is dry in the mouth, brut at 7 g/L, and the red fruit is held in by the chardonnay's acid, so it finishes crisp rather than soft.
Of our four cuvées it has the shortest time on lees, and that is deliberate. Three years gives the bead its fineness and a little toast, while the fruit stays bright and in front.
The wine
Rosé 2021 in figures
- Grapes
- 70% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay
- Vintage
- 2021
- Time on lees
- Three years on lees
- Dosage
- Brut, 7 g/L
- Alcohol
- 12%
- Price
- $58 a bottle
The colour
How the pink gets in
Pinot noir has white juice. All of the colour sits in the skins, which is how the same grape can make our Blanc de Noirs without a trace of pink. For the rosé we do the opposite on purpose. The Hill Block pinot is crushed and left with its skins for a day, long enough for the juice to take on a soft colour and a little red-fruit flavour, then the juice is drawn off and fermented.
That pink pinot noir is blended with chardonnay from the Top Block before the second fermentation. One day on skins is a judgement call made by tasting, not by the clock alone: too short and the wine is barely blushed, too long and it turns heavy and loses its snap.
From vine to bottle
Picked early, three years in the cellar
Like every Ember Hill wine, the rosé starts with an early pick. The pinot noir and chardonnay are cut by hand in January, before dawn, while the fruit is cool and still holds its acid. In the warm Hunter that timing is what keeps a sparkling rosé fresh rather than jammy.
After blending, the base wine is bottled with yeast and sugar under a crown seal for its second fermentation. It then rests on its lees for three years, is turned by hand on the riddling racks, and is disgorged, given a dosage of 7 g/L and corked. The vineyard and method page walks through each stage.
Why put chardonnay in a rosé at all? Pinot noir on its own gives colour, red fruit and body. The 30% chardonnay brings the line of lemon and the chalky edge that runs through the whole house, and it keeps the wine lifted through its time on lees. The result tastes of pinot and finishes with the same chalky line as the rest of the range.
One day on the skins, three years on the lees.
Food, serving and cellaring
How to drink it
The rosé is the most flexible wine on our list. It is lovely on its own before a meal, and it has the red fruit to stand up to food a white sparkling would struggle with: cured meats, salmon, prawns with chilli, beetroot, a plate of soft cheese. It is also the cuvée to pour with a fruit dessert that is not too sweet, such as strawberries or a blood orange tart.
Serve it at about 8°C, a few hours in the fridge or 20 minutes in a bucket of ice and water. It is at its best young, while the fruit is at its most vivid, so we suggest drinking it within the next couple of years rather than laying it down.
On a weekend afternoon it is the natural first glass at the bubbles and cheese tasting on the terrace, and it sits well beside the lighter dishes at Lees, our restaurant.
Questions
Why sparkling rosé is pink, and is it sweet?
How is sparkling rosé made at Ember Hill?
Our sparkling rosé is made by the traditional method. Hill Block pinot noir is crushed and left on its skins for a day to take on colour, then the juice is drawn off, fermented and blended with chardonnay from the Top Block. The blend is bottled with yeast and sugar for its second fermentation, aged three years on lees, riddled by hand, disgorged and given a brut dosage of 7 g/L.
Why is sparkling rosé pink?
The colour comes from the grape skins. Pinot noir has red skins but clear juice, so the juice only turns pink if it spends time in contact with the skins. We leave our pinot noir on its skins for one day before drawing the juice off, which gives the pale coral colour and a hint of red fruit. The 30% chardonnay in the blend adds freshness, not colour.
Is Ember Hill sparkling rosé sweet?
No. It is brut, with a dosage of 7 g/L, which counts as dry. The wild strawberry and blood orange on the nose can make it seem fruity, but the finish is crisp, because the early-picked pinot noir and chardonnay keep plenty of natural acid. If you want something drier, the Blanc de Noirs is extra brut at 3 g/L and the Late Disgorged is brut nature at 0 g/L.
What food goes with sparkling rosé?
Sparkling rosé has more red fruit than a white sparkling, so it handles a wider range of food. Try it with charcuterie, smoked or cured salmon, prawns with a little chilli, beetroot dishes, soft cheeses and light fruit desserts such as strawberries or a citrus tart. It is also good on its own as a first glass. At Ember Hill it is part of the bubbles and cheese tasting.
How long can I keep a bottle of sparkling rosé?
Our rosé is made to be enjoyed fresh. It has already had three years on lees in our cellar before release, so it is ready to drink now, and we suggest opening it within the next couple of years while the fruit is at its brightest. Store it on its side somewhere cool, dark and steady, away from heat and light, and chill it to about 8°C to serve.
How much is the Ember Hill Rosé?
The 2021 Rosé is $58 a bottle, the most approachable price in our range. You can add it to your cart on this page or pick it up at the cellar door, open daily from 10am to 5pm. Delivery is free on 6 bottles or more to NSW, the ACT, Victoria and Queensland, and on 12 or more anywhere in Australia. An adult signs for every delivery.
Pour it on the terrace
Bubbles and cheese pairs all four cuvées, the rosé included, with Hunter cheeses on the terrace above the vines. Daily, 11am to 3pm, $45.