Sustainably made rosé from the chalk soils of Sussex.
Rathfinny's Rosé is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier, blending stainless steel fermented base wines with a touch of barrel aged Pinot Noir for complexity and colour. Rose gold, it offers a creamy palate of kumquats and clementines, giving way to red fruit flavours before finishing with a clean quince finish.
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 south-facing slope, the site is predominantly planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier and benefits from a semi-continental maritime climate and free-draining chalk soils, providing the ideal conditions to ripen grapes for sparkling wine. Rathfinny uses only estate-grown fruit for their four traditional-method sparkling wines: Classic Cuvée, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and Rosé. Each of their wines is produced and labelled as a vintage wine.
The hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed grapes are vinified with as little intervention as possible and a low dosage to preserve the purest expression of place and vintage. This preservation of character starts in the vineyard, says Sarah Driver. “We aim to be a sustainable wine producer. As a result, we take the stewardship of our land seriously. All our buildings are constructed using locally sourced materials, such as flint from the vineyards, and we have worked with Natural England and the South Downs National Park to implement a programme of improvements to enhance wildlife habitats and reclaim areas of natural chalk grassland, as well as creating wildlife corridors throughout the vineyard.”
This ‘re-wilding’ of what was previously an arable farm ensures greater biodiversity. This focus on the environment, and to sustainability and the soil, ensures good quality fruit. Mark Driver adds that “sustainability is multi-layered, it’s everything we touch. It’s not just about the use of carbon or energy or chemicals. It’s about how we treat our soils, our use of water and all the inputs we have in the winemaking process, the whole environment.” This attention to detail shines through in the wines, which are beautifully made, elegant and balanced.
Pinot Meunier, also known as Meunier or Schwarzriesling, is a black grape variety most noted for being one of the three main varieties used in the production of Champagne (the others being Pinot noir and Chardonnay). Until recently, producers in Champagne generally did not acknowledge Pinot Meunier, preferring to emphasise the use of the other noble varieties, but now Pinot Meunier is gaining recognition for the body and richness it contributes to Champagne.
You'll often find Pinot Meunier in Blanc de Noirs (white of blacks) sparkling wines alongside Pinot Noir.
Pinot Meunier is very, very rarely used to make still wine. It can produce light and fruity red wines with high acidity, but we’re now seeing a number of English producers make still white wines out of this black grape variety.
