WINE REVIEW
Every so often, even in the increasingly crowded market of great English sparkling wines, something stops you in your tracks and commands your attention. This Saignée Rosé 2020 from Bluestone is one of those wines. It was one of the highlights of the WineGB trade tasting last month, so it was a joy to spend a bit more time with its deep, colourful and complex charms.
A blend of 60.5% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 2.5% Pinot Meunier, made in the Saignée method, this intensely coloured wine is bled off following contact with the skins. Saignée sparkling rosés often have deep colours and powerful, complex flavour profiles. And I happen to love this style.
The nose immediately draws you in, with wild strawberries and macerated red berry flavours that recall the very ripest red berries of the summer. There are also hints of cherry shortbread and winter spice.
And then the palate hits you like a strawberry explosion – the fruit is so ripe, rich and concentrated; this is not a rosé wine that holds back in any way. But then a low dosage of 4g/l allows the crystalline acidity and subtle minerality to shine, with leaner, crunchier notes of cranberry and pomegranate – sublime.
