Clover Hill Cuvée Exceptionnelle Brut Rosé 2008 (Tasmania)
$56, Cork, 13%
Source: Sample
www.cloverhillwines.com.au

Curiously this is the first time I’ve seen this rosé. Clearly I’ve been living under a rock. A Tasmanian bubbly rock (or such).

Anyways, this is nothing if not a serious rosé. Produced exclusively from the Clover Hill vineyard at Pipers River, Tasmania it is a blend of 87% Pinot Noir and 13% Pinot Meunier. That pink colour comes from careful Pinot Noir maceration (skin contact between juice and skins) with a small amount of Pinot Meunier added prior to bottling (after 3 years on lees). That late Meunier addition is somewhat unusual in Australian sparkling circles, yet indicates just how seriously the Clover Hill team take their rosé.

That late fruit addition helps in vitality too, an element which this has in droves. There is an almost candied strawberry red fruit on the nose of this, musky and sweet strawberry fruit. Lovely. Dry but juicy palate has lots of fruit but lots of acid too, making for a quite enjoyable, fully flavoured rosé. What I like is just how well it couples sophisticated, serious winemaking with bright fruit. Admittedly it is probably not as refined as an equivalent vintage Champagne rosé, but what it does have is both richness and acidity.

Very smart juice. Will look even better with a day an extra few years under the belt too.

Drink:2013-2020+
Score: 18/20 93/100
Would I buy it? Yes.