Carignane Old Vines Little Big Block Vineyard, 2022, Birichino Rose

Carignane Old Vines Little Big Block Vineyard, 2022, Birichino RoseWe love the wines of Birichino in Santa Cruz California, who specialise in a special kind of sourcery: using intense, concentrated old vine fruit to make wines that are medium bodied, elegant and balanced, without any flab or excess. This comes from a small vineyard in Contra Costa planted in 1895 (!). It's spicy, peppery and unfurls with lovely dark cherry fruit and hints of anise.

gastronomic and just full of layers and complexity

and make some of the purest

with each variety fermented separately in concrete tanks

refined Blanc de Blancs with incredibly precise

spice and just a lick of creamy oak to round it out

black pepper and mocha coffee notes

razor sharp and taut and loaded with freshly squeezed lime juice and salty

just south of Avize

Drink chilled with a second bottle close by

Wonderful Champagne

aged for four months in used oak on its lees for texture

Pale pink with a delightfully fruity