Sparkling Chambourcin Rosé (Traditional Method) | 10.7% ABV | 12 Months French Oak, 18 Months in Bottle (at release) | Virginia

One of our most unique wines at Rocklands, Medley District is a traditional method sparkling wine (aka Champagne, Cava, Crémant de Bourgogne, etc) made with 100% Chambourcin.  This wine is a nearly three year project before we release it out in the wild for you to enjoy, so buckle up as we take you through our version of making traditional method sparkling wine at Rocklands.

Here's how it works. The 2020 vintage base wine was harvested with acid in mind, clocking in right around a 3 pH  in the vineyard with a potential alcohol south of 11%. The grapes were then direct-pressed, picking up just a bit of that beautiful Chambourcin pale fuschia color, and began fermentation in barrel. We allowed the fermentation to finish (go dry) and aged the wine for one year (also in barrel).

Now, here's the really cool part. Fast forward to September of 2021, the Chambourcin is again ripe and ready for harvest.  After these grapes began fermentation, we added a portion of the actively fermenting juice from this 2021 harvest to the 2020 base wine as to make it begin fermenting again in lieu of the much more common practice of adding sugar and lab yeast to restart the second fermentation.

So at this point the 2020 Medley District was in a tank, and had a small portion of the fermenting 2021 juice in it. Once the fermentation reached the proper point, the wine was bottled while still fermenting. Those bottles were left to complete their fermentations over the next couple of months and rested in bottle for a full 18 months prior to release.  

A wine with this extreme acid character should be very cellarable.  We aged it so long prior to release to allow the acid to evolve and round a bit.  This process will continue as the wine ages.

This vintage is not disgorged, so you will notice some sediment remaining in bottle.  It’s neither fined nor filtered.  Open upright and drink cold!  This would be a great compliment to a cheese board or you could consider going the extra mile and preparing a duck leg confit for a truly magical handshake.  We taste cranberry, green strawberry, biscuit, citrus, and orange zest.