Rockburn Stolen Kiss Central Otago 2024

Description

Crème brûlée, Off-dry, Strawberry

"Very bright with a delicate pink and apricot hue leads to a bouquet of fresh red berry fruits and strawberry, a distinctive cherry and mineral quality, a quietly spoken savoury quality and gently dried herb note.  Crisp, just dry, a core of ripe fruit flavours reflecting the bouquet, there’s a plushness and juicy mouthfeel accentuated by fine fruit tannins and lees. Delicious, fresh and ready to drink from day of purchase through end of summer 2026" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Oct 2024

The sweetly frivolous and fruity side of Central Otago Pinot Noir is bound up in this bottle of Stolen Kiss Rosé; once unleashed into your glass its candy-floss and crème-brûlée aromas shall sashay into a flirtatious toffee-apple and simmering strawberry palate smeared with cherry lip-gloss; most fun to drink chilled on sultry summer afternoons and evenings.

It all started with a kiss! A Stolen Kiss Rosé back in 2006, when winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis “stole” some Pinot Noir grapes that were destined for Rockburn’s flagship Central Otago Pinot Noir and turned them into one of the country’s first premium Rosé wines. The story goes after a missed 2007 vintage there was a public outcry about the lack of Stolen Kiss, the cult wine was consistently made every year since, with the 2024 vintage marking its 18th release.

An El Niño weather pattern resulted in a cooler summer for Central Otago than usual, which allowed for some gentle ripening, while sensible yields still meant harvest began in mid-March. Bright acidity, excellent concentration, clean fruit, and healthy ferments; the wines of 2024 will be forthright and direct in the story they have to tell, very tasty, and sure to be long lived.

Food Pairing: Best enjoyed chilled on sultry afternoons and evenings.