Rathfinny Wine Estate’s Rosé Brut presents a delicate pale pink colour with a vibrant bouquet of cranberry, cherry blossom, and red apple. On the palate, it offers lively, concentrated flavours of pink grapefruit and brioche, balanced by juicy acidity and a silky texture. This wine’s refreshing finish makes it an elegant aperitif, alternatively it pairs beautifully with Thai chili crab, duck and ginger spring rolls, or fruit-forward desserts like strawberry soufflé and cranberry trifle.

Critic Review

JanicsRobinson.com: 16.5+
Drinking Window: now - 2032

"Snappy, aloof, pithy. Blood orange and iodine minerality. Bubbles like a thousand, tiny, glittering scalpels. Quite severe and pared back – it tastes as if the dosage is low. It would be easy, if you weren't looking at the colour, to mistake this for a Blanc de Blancs. A wine that probably needs dishes with intense lemon and salt to coax it from its rigid austerity."
Tamlyn Currin

About the Producer

This family-owned estate was established in 2010 by Mark and Sarah Driver, with the first vineyards being planted in April 2012. Rathfinny’s estate vineyard now extends to over 93 hectares in the South Downs, just three miles from the Channel. Lying on a southfacing slope, their estate vineyard is predominantly planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier as well as small plantings of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. The site benefits from a semicontinental maritime climate and free-draining chalk soils, providing the ideal conditions to ripen grapes. Rathfinny uses only estate-grown fruit for their four traditional-method sparkling wines: Classic Cuvée, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and Rosé, as well as their still white wine. Each of their wines is produced and labelled as a vintage wine.

Vineyard and Winery

The estate vineyard is protected from the worst of the prevailing south westerly winds by a natural ridge that runs along the southern edge of the Estate. Sustainability and stewardship of the land are at the heart of Rathfinny’s philosophy. The team have worked closely with Natural England and the South Downs National Park, to implement a programme which enhances local wildlife habitats and reclaims areas of natural chalk grassland. Rathfinny’s focus on the environment, and commitment to sustainability and soil health, ensure excellent quality fruit.

The grapes were hand harvested, whole bunch pressed and vinified with as little intervention as possible. The base wine was fermented in stainless steel at 16°C, followed by malolactic fermentation. A small proportion of Pinot Noir, aged for 6-8 months in 225l old French oak barrels, was blended for colour and aromatic complexity. After bottling, the wine was aged 24 months on lees. Following disgorgement, the wine received a low dosage of 4g/l, to preserve the purest expression of vintage and place.