LVDO Rosé RESERVE 2023

Serious | Savoury | Textural

Ingredients: Grape berries, 30 ppm sulphites

Vegan, unfined and unfiltered.

2023 Vintage
Sellicks Hill, McLaren Vale
12.7% ABV
750 mL

Over the years, I took a little detail of each wine (sparkling, white, rose, red, fortified) that I found inspirational for making a collectable rose and started to look for the right vineyard. As a result, the 2023 vintage is from a more sandy vineyard in Sellicks Hill (McLaren Vale), planted in 1990, dry-grown and certified organic. Tiny yields, 2t/ha, which is about a third of Grand Cru yields. The wine-making is a culmination of all techniques I have played with since 2021: whole bunch pressed, wild-fermented and aged in various formats of ancient barrels (15+ years old puncheon and barrique). This "Reserve" version spent 18 months in barrel on fine lees, compared to the standard version's 11 months. I also started a perpetual reserve aged under flor in 2021 with the purpose of adding complexity, savouriness and texture (similar to the perpetual reserve in non-vintage Grower Champagne). There is a 10% perpetual reserve included in the 2023 Rose. After blending, I held back a single barrique for extended maturation (18 months). The wine looked fantastic, so decided to bottle half of the barrel (~150 bottles) and use the other half to increase the complexity of our perpetual reserve. The result is a very unique wine that is meant to expand wine lovers' image of Australian rose to new territories. While it's a different style from most Australian roses, every step was taken with intention and deliberation to make a serious and complex wine that can be cellared 8-10 years.

95 points, Marcus Ellis (Halliday Wine Companion)
"From certified organic, dry-grown shiraz vines, 18 months in barrel, with 10% perpetual reserve aged under flor. This is the reserve version of acclaimed sommelier (and Dr of wine sensory science) Marcell Kustos’ rosé. It’s a tiny production, which the hand-applied Dymo reserve sash attests to. The colour is something like burnt orange with red tints, the nose stripped back from overtly fruity notes, though ample cherry, strawberry, redcurrant and pomegranate lurk within, the savouriness of long barrel ageing, positive touches of aldehyde and chalky, waxy, nutty flor notes taking the lead. The fruit is amply there, swelling on the palate, a textural swirl arrested from looseness by the tail of those savoury elements, with fine tannin in support. Thoroughly individual. Not for everyone. Nor is it meant to be. It’s very good though, and it will likely age very well, too."