VINTAGE 2015

“Windy, dry, early, mild, the best vintage in four decades” – this is how the 2014/15 summer and wine vintage climatic conditions have been described.  Following a cold and wet winter, August had higher than normal temperatures which caused budding to be about seven days earlier.  Dry and windy conditions during flowering and berry set, put vines under early stress and resulted in smaller berries which were more uneven in size. Thus we had more berry sorting to do. Maximum temperatures during February were significantly lower compared to our long term average, which had a very large positive impact on grape quality during the last stages of ripening.  Despite the dry conditions, we had no heatwaves until after harvest (the earliest onset of harvest in more than ten years). Our yield was 48.0 hectolitres per hectare.

On Normandie Est. 1693, the 2015 extreme climatic conditions illustrated again how unique the terroir is within the “protected” property, as we only began harvest two days prior to our earliest vintage. Consequently our grapes had time to ripen slowly and perfectly until harvest at optimal ripeness.
A sophisticated, serious and dry Merlot rosé with a salmon-pink hue. Delicate aromas of freshly cut melon, ripe strawberries and perfume evolve in the glass to more complex flavours of kiwi, citrus and spices on the palate. Supple tannins together with a fresh, natural acidity leads to a pleasant, long finish. Full roundness and balanced mouthfeel is a result of 26-months ageing in bottle under perfect conditions.

karen. 2015 is a well-weighted dry rosé that boasts a complex character and a lingering finish. For the 2015 vintage of karen. we have changed from a screwcap closure to a premium natural cork with hand wax finish.