Roseblood Sparkling is a new sparkling version of Roseblood Rosé from the historic Château d’Estoublon, which dates back to 1489 and is located in in the Alpilles Natural Regional Park in Provence. Positioned as a premium Provence rosé, it certainly looks the part, with distinctive, luxury-inspired branding and an eye-catching bottle designed to stand out.
The blend is 45% Grenache for roundness, 35% Cinsault for finesse and 20% Syrah. It’s a non-vintage sparkling rosé made using the Charmat method, but with an interesting twist. Rather than adding sugar to trigger the secondary fermentation, reserved grape juice is used instead, helping to preserve the wine’s fresh, fruit-forward character. A few months spent on the lees brings additional texture and complexity. Classified as Extra Brut, it has an alcohol content of 12.5%.
A delicate, pale salmon-pink in colour, it offers a combination of raspberry, redcurrant and peach, with a subtle floral lift. Fresh red fruit leads the way, while a slightly pastry-like character emerges on the finish, courtesy of that time on the lees. Unlike the majority of sparkling rosés at this price and below, it doesn’t rely on sugar to make itself appealing. There’s enough natural fruit character to do that job. It’s dry, light and refreshing, allowing the fruit to speak for itself.
The premium credentials come from several directions, the historic château, the thoughtful approach to production, the branding and, perhaps most importantly, the emphasis on natural fruit flavours rather than sweetness. At £27 from Goedhuis Waddesdon, it’s certainly not inexpensive, but there’s a clear idea behind what Roseblood Sparkling is trying to achieve and that makes it an interesting alternative to the more conventional sparkling rosés on the market.
