New Release: The Lowe Barrel Rosé
Each year, we eagerly await the outcome of the new vintage with baited breath. Conditions differ year-on-year, resulting in vastly different product, despite the varieties we grow, use and harvest staying the same.
It’s these variables that often inspire our winery team to create a small batch of something different – playing with technique, composition and design. After all, it was this very small-trial system that birthed our Zinfandel Rosé – and just like this, there’s a new Rosé now bottled that is ready for you to try. And hey, if this is a hit, it may just earn a place in our lineup again.
Dubbed our Barrel Rosé, this new wine is made from our organic and biodynamic Primitivo grapes (our Zinfandel clones) – but created in an entirely different process to that of it’s sister-wine, our Zinfandel Rosé. Cellar Master, Thomas Dudek, lead the charge in creating this new wine – and we’ve gathered his insights into its creation below – so read on to find out how the Barrel Rosé was born.
Pressed Differently
When processing grapes into wine, there are two ‘pressing’ methods we can use to extract the juice from the fruit.
Method one – called a free-run – is where the absolute best juice is extracted naturally through movement alone. This is the method we use when using the strongest fruit for our Zinfandel Rosé.
Method two – is mechanical pressing – where we squeeze the juice from the fruit. The result of this method is not only a different flavour, but also derives a different ‘texture’, with more phenolics from the skins featuring in the product.
And it was method two that was used in the creation of our Barrel Rosé.
Fermented Differently
As the name suggests – we used barrels here! Three old French-Oak and one new one (so yes, this was an extra small batch!). The wine was left to ferment slowly, over about 10 weeks – and through sampling, we could tell that some really great flavour was building. And to top it off – they used wild yeast as well.
Wild yeast can lead to varied results; it has the ability to make a wine really-really good, but also had the potential to create some utterly terrible wine as well. In the case of our Barrel Rosé, we were confident enough in the overall development that we believed it was worth a shot – and boy did it pay off.
Once all wrapped-up in the barrels, all four were combined in stainless steel – melding the new with the old – and it was done.
barbe à papa
Thomas Dudek / Cellar Master at Lowe
It’s Just Different!
The end result is an incredibly flavoursome rosé, with a light aroma of hazelnut – and a truly distinct texture that adds even more intrigue. Described as barbe à papa by Thomas, it exhibits a cotton-candy-esque texture – airy but ever-present. A funky wine in concept – but clean in result!
Not yet available, you can however grab a bottle – alongside our other two rosés – in this months Lowedown offer.