Hans Herzog Cuvee Therese Rose 2016

Accolades:
95/100 – Stephen Wong MW

“Light ruby garnet with a gentle mousse. This has concentrated cherry and cinnamon oak supported by complex savoury earthiness, spice and a beguiling nose reminiscent of red Burgundy. The palate is explosively concentrated with wonderfully complex maturing pinot noir flavours; spicy oak, savoury game, bitter cherry, juniper and sumac. Just a sliver of sweetness extends the juicy and sophisticated palate through to the finish where a fine coating of tannins tapers everything down to a savoury finish of umeboshi and dashi. Iconoclastic and uncompromising, it will really sing with food and has the depth and density of flavour to sit in the middle of a meal, not just the start. Drink 2024 to 2031.” – Stephen Wong MW

Tasting Note: Cheeky rose-pink, sparkling with fine bubbles with a bold vibrancy and mellow acidity. This crisp cuvée shows seductive aromas of ripe strawberries and raspberries, juicy blood oranges and a hint of pink grapefruit zest. Impressive in its opulence, the finish is refined and refreshing. 3g/l residual sugar (Extra Brut).

Winemaking Note: “It comes at cost, but as with all my wines it’s quality over quantity or, in terms of Sparkling wines, over high dosage. So, instead of cropping high and harvesting unripe grapes, I prefer riper fruit full of beautiful berry flavours with natural concentration and complexity. These high quality grapes for the base wine are then crushed and destemmed with a short cold maceration in order not to extract too much colour from the skin. Pressed directly into 500 l French oak puncheons for fermentation and aging on the fine lees for 10 months. To create a secondary fermentation, the wine was bottled with the ‘liqueur de tirage’, a liquid solution of yeast, wine and sugar (less sugar for a dry Sparkling). The wine then had ample time to mature on its lees in the bottle. 4.5 years exactly – the minimum for Vintage Champagne is three years. After riddling (remuage), a low dosage of sugar in the ‘liqueur d’expedition’ (a mix of sugar and wine), was added just after disgorgement (the process to remove the sediments).” – Hans Herzog

Alcohol: 14.0%

Varietal: Rosé of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Region: Marlborough, New Zealand