As the final toast in 2020 – our year of terroir, and the beginning of 2021, our year of wines that represent friendship – we'll raise a glass of Hattingley Valley Rose 2014 from Hampshire England.
Our dog, Duchess Poppy, let us borrow her tiara for our photos of this wine. From what we've read and heard, this vineyard is doing its best to make the British proud of English wine. The winery has won numerous awards and has said of this bottle, “Our 2014 Rosé was also awarded the World Champion Rosé trophy at The Italian Wine Journal Challenge Euposia XI edition 2018-2019.”
We have two reasons for selecting this wine to close our 2020 adventure and enter 2021.
First, it was recommended by one of our trusted wine mentors, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli, owner of Alcove Boston. He told us about it on one of our last visits to his restaurant and we had planned to share a bottle with friends on our next visit.
Alas, Alcove is one of the favorite places we have sorely missed in this year of isolation. We hope those of you who are out and about will support Tom and his great team in whatever way you are able given your own pandemic limitations. Check out the little market they have added to their resources.
Tom also represents all the friends we have made in the hospitality industry over the years. Our hearts are aching for what this situation is doing to all of them.
The second reason is that Penny had spent much of her relaxation time during this year in virtual visits to Britain. It all began with the discovery of the series Great Canal Journeys with Timothy West and Prunella Scales. From there she began following a number of YouTube narrowboat vloggers. She was already addicted to British history, food, and gardening shows. When she sits and watches something, it usually has a British accent.
Back to the Wine!
Here's what we've learned from the folks at Hattingley about their 2014 Rose:
"BLEND | 60% Pinot Noir, 38% Pinot Meunier & 2% Pinot Precoce
VINEYARDS | Sourced from vineyards across the South of England, mainly chalk with clay topsoil.
WINEMAKING | Approximately 8% of the blend is fermented in 4-5 year old Burgundy barrels. Before tirage, the base wine is blended with 5% red wine made from the Pinot Precoce to give a delicate soft pink colour and some vibrant red fruit flavours. The wine spent 2 years ageing on lees in the bottle before being disgorged.
PRESS | 92 WA | “This is a very impressive sparkling Rosé. It has a succinct bouquet of freshly picked strawberry, red cherry and a touch of green apple, all precise and quite mineral-driven. The palate is fresh on the entry with a slight waxiness to the texture. It has more complexity than its peers and it fans out gloriously with hints of praline and strawberry towards the vivacious finish. This is one to serve to the next person that refutes the idea of great English sparkling wine.”
Our bottle was delivered by Urban Grape and cost $64.00.
Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Related Posts:
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino
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