Briar Ridge Rosé Orange, 2019

Orange, at an elevation above 600 metres, is Australia’s highest altitude wine region. It is a cool region consisting of hills and winding roads, with the extinct volcano Mount Canobolas as a backdrop. Briar Ridge’s Orange vineyard sits at 750 metres on volcanic basalt soils. 2019 saw an extreme cold winter and lower than average rainfall, but enough moisture to allow good vine growth, and the region did not suffer from the extreme heat experienced elsewhere. After picking Merlot, the grapes were left in contact with their skins for several hours, giving the juice a pretty pink colour. This is a rosé with nice depth of flavour – red apples, cranberries and raspberry crush with some yeasty notes and a dry crisp finish.