This distinctive, off-dry wine is evocative of summer berries, with generous layers of stone fruits and citrus, an elegant minerality and a lingering, refreshing finish.

Learn more about Brick Bay Rosé in this video.

Tasting Notes

A delicate rose iridescent pink, this elegant wine recalls aromas of summer berries and apricots enhanced by floral, spice and citrus notes.
The palate is fresh and silky, suggesting layers of lime, lychee, white peach, clementines and summer herbs. A velvety, strawberry sorbet mouthfeel is offset by a savoury backbone - this delicious medium-dry wine has a sliver of sweetness balanced by a vibrant touch of salty minerality and a lively, clean finish.

Expert Reviews

CAMERON DOUGLAS MS: 94pt
Winemaker James Rowan is a true craftsman, he understands Rosé. The 2023 expression, from Bordeaux varieties, has a completely captivating bouquet of bing-cherry and fine lees, peach tea, red apple skin and chalky clay scents. A classic rose petal scent adds to the lift and delicacy to the style. Delicious on the palate, dry, taut, youthful and refreshing with a light saline quality. Flavours reflect the bouquet accentuated by acidity and gently warming alcohol. Best enjoyed from day of purchase through end of summer 2026. That said, I have cellared a few examples of these wines and they age well also.

BOB CAMPBELL MW: 93pt
Smooth-textured blend of Bordeaux varieties. Flavoursome wine in an appealingly dry style. Good food wine that can also be enjoyed without the complication of food. Stylish wine - classy - should suit a wide range of tastes.

In the Vineyard 

An early, although uneven budburst, gave us a long flowering period this vintage, something experienced in most grape growing regions in the country. Veraison (colour change and softening of the berries) also was early, with all the vines netted in early January.

Our vineyard team did their usual meticulous job of creating an open vine canopy by removing excess foliage by hand to allow air movement to dry the fruit and allow sunlight penetration. We are clearly reaping the benefits of the application over many years of organic soil health-enhancing products, producing healthier vines which can better withstand disease.

Like most North Island regions, we experienced one of the most challenging vintages in our history. A mild but quite rainy 2022 winter saturated our soils limiting machinery access to the vineyard, while January and February presented us with the challenges of the downpours associated with the Auckland floods then the heavy rains and strong winds of Cyclone Gabrielle in mid February.

March eventually delivered some sunshine so we were able to carefully monitor the developing fruit ripeness and hand harvest a small but exceptional quality crop. Our yield for this vintage was generally 35% less than the previous year.

In the Winery

Made mainly from Malbec, supported by Cabernet Franc and Merlot, this refined blend balances lush ripe fruit within a sturdy framework. The grapes were gently pressed, left on their skins for a short time to achieve the desired colour and flavour profile, then vinified at cool temperatures in stainless steel. Stop-fermentation achieved an exceptional fruit/acid/sugar balance in this wine.

Ageing potential

As with most rosés, this wine is designed to drink over the summer following harvest. However, aging accentuates the dried fruit characters. Enjoy chilled with a wide variety of summer food flavours, or simply as a refreshing aperitif.

Harvest date: 10th - 28th March 2023
Bottling date: 15th September 2023
Composition: Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 13 %
TA: 6.2
pH: 3.2
RS: 8g/L
Quantity: 423 dozen