Charles Melton Rose of Virginia, 2007

Winemaker Charlie Melton

50% Grenache, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Pinot Meunier & 3.5% Shiraz

Despite being in the market for so long, Charlie Melton still has something new to offer. Charlie’s wines are not your usual burly Barossa beasts. Instead, they have wonderful balance and freshness, with the use of French oak giving them a supple texture and balance that few Barossa wines have. As Charlie’s fame has grown, he has continued to move forward. He was one of the first producers to put his top red wines under stelvin as he is convinced the wine will age more gradually and consistently. This has certainly proved the case so far, and his superb 2005 Nine Popes is showing brilliantly under stelvin.

Due to the weather conditions, 2007 was one of the earliest vintages in living memory.  Yields were very low in both Shiraz and Cabernet, producing small berries with intense colour and flavour.  All varieties were co-fermented as usual, with varying skin contact times which resulted in the right combination of colour and tannin.  The juice was left on the skins for between 1 and 3 days, after which only the free run juice was drained off and used.  The fermentation contined at low temperatures for some six weeks and was stopped, with a very slight amount of natural grape sugar retained.

The Rose of Virginia, a Grenache rosé, is the ‘Aussie rules’ of rosé wines. The 2007 has beautiful colour, nicely scented fruit with great weight, depth and drinkability on the palate.