Abbesse Rosé 2016

We’ve long been fans of the Loire whites that Franck Chatelain produces at Noël Bougrier’s fourth generation family cellar on the river Cher. In this wonderfully vibrant rosé Franck has shown an equally deft hand with the region’s classic red varieties too. It’s a scintillating blend of Loire heroes Gamay and Cabernet Franc, and while frost heavily reduced yields in the western Loire, red grapes from further east were very high in quality. You’ll notice this in the concentration of flavour that comes through in the wine. After a gentle crushing, the juice was drawn off the skins to ensure a pale pink colour and cool fermented to retain lovely raspberry and strawberry flavours. Delicious solo or with grilled fish, salads or a creamy roulade.