Simpsons 'Railway Hill' Rosé 2022

Simpsons Wine Estate is situated in the Elham Valley; an unspoilt seam in the North Downs of Kent where the contours of the land, the climate and the soil are excellent for viticulture. The intensely lime-rich chalk soil forms part of the same chalk ridge that stretches from southern England through the Champagne region and on to Burgundy. The Roman Road and Railway Hill vineyards are planted with Burgundian clones 96 and 548, at a density of 4,200 vines per hectare on either Fercal or 41B rootstocks. The Guyot trained vines flourish on sloping, south facing vineyards, which ensure heat accumulation during the day and cold air drainage at night. The vineyard is less than eight miles from the coast providing a crucial maritime influence insulating the fruit against intense temperature variations. Pruning and harvesting takes place by hand and they are signed up to the WineGB’s Sustainability Scheme.

Made with as little intervention as possible. The hand-picked grapes were whole bunch pressed and cold settled for 48 hours prior to racking. The must underwent a long and slow fermentation in stainless tanks with wild and selected aromatic yeasts at controlled temperatures of 14 to 16°C. This wine did not go through malolactic conversion, retaining a crisp and vibrant character, but spent time on fine yeast lees to build palate weight, before being bottled in spring.