ROSE WINE - Portugal

50/50 Viura i Garnacha, co-fermented and aged on lees in stainless after a simple cool fermentation. The Viura and Garnacha are picked, destemmed and macerated together for 2-3 days. Fermentation starts with the skins, but after a day or two the fermenting must is separated by gravity, un-pressed. The young Clarete spends up to a week on gross lees, and is then decanted and aged 6-9 months on fine lees. The lees are compacted by a small amount of bentonite. No further fining or filtration takes place before bottling.

The look is a lustrous, vibrant see-through ('Clar' or clear being the defining thing!) raspberry pink. It's a nose of rose, red flower petals, ruby grapefruit and a builder's lime whack of chalky soil aroma. A hit of anis-scented Saké. Fresh and crunchy with good acidity, it's chalky on entry, opens easily and closes with a delicately phenolic rim, inflected with wild strawberry and a pink grapefruit-pomelo dollop. Herbs and flowers somewhere between thyme flowers and gardenia stem - run a line throughout.