Longview 'Rosato' Nebbiolo Rosé 2017

This beautiful clear bottle is adorned with the image of Juno. That's Juno the Queen of the Ancient Roman Gods and daughter of the God of harvest Saturn, not Juno the 2007 coming of age comedy starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera. That would be ridiculous; how would you even put a film on a label? If Nebbiolo is the Italian 'King of Grapes' then surely that would make a lightly extracted Nebbiolo rosé, the daughter of the 'King of Grapes,' hence Juno. Pretty clever reference from the Longview gang, ay?

If you think they might have used all their energy obtaining a classics degree and had none left for the winemaking you would be wrong. Vibrant salmon pink in colour with delicate notes of orange peel, musk and strawberries on the nose. The palate bursts with maraschino cherries and raspberries, then finishes with savoury, refreshing acidity. Lingering and dry; unmistakably Nebbiolo! As elegant as the goddess herself!

Longview is a stunning family owned Australian vineyard located just outside the historic township of Macclesfield in the Adelaide Hills. Set on undulating slopes reminiscent of classic old world estates, it has quickly established itself as one the most awarded vineyards in the region since its first vintage in 2001. Longview Vineyard is a little warmer than other Adelaide Hills' sites but its wines are still decidedly cool climate in style showing restraint and finesse without sacrificing depth. Longview Vineyard is minimal in everything they do. They do not allow broad spectrum insecticides and believe in minimal sulphur in both the vineyard and winery. No dairy and/or egg is used in any of their wines. Two clones of Nebbiolo, 111 and F12V13 were allocated for Fresco from their oldest blocks (est. 1995). 111 makes up 85% of the blend, selected for its amazing perfume characters and softer tannins; F12V13 provides backbone and structure. The fruit was hand-picked, then cold soaked on skins for 5 days and pressed into stainless steel. Ferment continued cold, left on lees and allowed to go through partial natural malolactic fermentation softening the acidity. The aim of this process is to harness the aromatics whilst still extracting tannin.