SHEILD Pinot Meunier Rosé 2022

Reviews and Accolades

Cameron Douglas MS: 92/100.  Fresh, bright and fruity bouquet with aromas of fresh strawberry and rose, there’s a delicate tropical fruits and peach suggestion. Youthful, exuberant, fleshy and fruity on the palate. Dry with plenty of acidity and fruit flavours to mirror the bouquet. Balanced, well made and ready to drink from 2022 through end of summer 2024.

MUNDUS VINI Spring Tasting 2023: Silver. 

Tasting note

Pale Provençal Pink, this light to medium bodied Rosé has a perfumed nose of floral, strawberry, raspberry and watermelon notes. A discreet lick of residual sugar accentuates the fruit flavours which are teased out through the wine by the juicy citrusy acidity. A saline note makes a nod to the vineyard's coastal proximity, and stretches the wine out to a long dry finish.

Varietal: 100% Pinot Meunier

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Food match: a delightful complement to a lot of BBQ dishes and summer salads. Or simply enjoy as a refreshing aperitif.

Alcohol: 11.5% vol

Vineyard: Wai-iti Vineyard, Nelson, New Zealand. Flat alluvial soils, gravel with a layer of silt loam Vine age 10 years.

Vintage 2022: The Nelson winter was benign in 2021. Normal rainfall and not much snow on the hills. Consequently, an early budburst resulted. Periodic but not prolonged rain events through the spring and early summer ensured fairly normal vegetative growth which was pleasing from a vine management position. Sea temperatures in the region were also well above average and warm weather continued through to the start of flowering. Untimely rains negatively affected the early flowering varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir resulting in a range of clonal variability. Later flowering varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino, Pinot Gris) flowered and set beautifully. Summer continued in a warm and sunny manner as summer should. A period of rain shortly after version again affected the early ripening varieties resulting in increased disease pressure for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The resulting flush of vegetative growth was cause for concern as the increase in humidity under the bird netting also increased disease risk. Summer held its nerve and grapes were harvested largely in good balance and condition between late March and mid April 2022.

Regional climate: Nelson’s sheltered topography gives protection from strong winds; combined with its proximity to the sea this gives milder temperatures than other South Island regions, mitigating frost risk. Regularly New Zealand’s sunniest region and with good diurnal variation this helps emphasise varietal character. High sunlight hours and a long growing season give wonderful fruit purity.

Winemaking: Made from 100% Pinot Meunier the fruit for this wine is always harvested in the cool of early morning. Machine picked on the 7/3/2020 the must made the hour or so trip to the winery – contributing to the skin contact element in this wine. Once at the winery the berries were promptly crushed and transferred to the press. No additional skin contact was employed the juice being pressed off directly. This juice was left to cold settle for several days before the well clarified juice was racked to tank for ferment. It was inoculated with a favourite Rose yeast chosen for the fermentation aromatics it liberates. The ferment was kept cool to maintain a civilized pace and preserve the pronounced aromatics. Although we are not fixated on numbers, this wine came into balance at 5.5g/L sharing a residual sugar very similar to other vintages, the ferment was cooled to arrest. From here it was simply and briskly moved through the finishing steps. Bottled on the 4th of August 2022 – capturing the wine’s youthful finesse.

Residual sugar: 5.5 g/l

Total acidity: 7.65 g/l

Bottle size: 0.75l

Notice: contains sulphites

Cellaring potential: 2024

Closure: Screwcap

Produced and bottled by: Drinks Cabinet Limited, Atawhai, Nelson 7010, New Zealand

Imported by: vinabonus GmbH, Simmedenweg 40, 34134 Kassel, Germany.