Lytle Barnett 2018 Brut Rosé 3pack

Every good bottle of wine comes from a fortuitous blend of natural forces and human intervention. But we’ve found that the very best of the best emerge in places where exceptional quality meets passion, experience and great timing. For decades, we’ve watched Oregon’s Willamette Valley mature into a terroir capable of producing more than just world-class Pinot Noir. With new varietals emerging and coming into their own, we saw that the timing was perfect to create exceptionally high-quality local bubbles using the exact specifications of vintage French Champagne.

Vintage

A mild dry winter set the stage for a 2018 vintage that was highlighted by a cool spring and a dry summer that was moderate in heat. The vintage experienced a string of nearly 90 days without precipitation. While this did
stress the vines, it also created a situation where there was virtually no disease pressure on the grapes. The autumn warmth meant that the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for this bottling would be picked relatively early on
in September allowing for plenty of flavor development in the grapes without excessive sugars.

Winemaking

This inaugural release of the 2018 vintage Lytle-Barnett Brut Rosé Saignée is a combination of Mariafeld and Pommard clones of Pinot Noir from the Bieze Vineyard and 352 clone of Chardonnay from the Zenith vineyard.
Both vineyards are in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The Chardonnay grapes were chilled overnight to allow for a gentle press cycle the next day in a traditional pneumatic press. The Pinot Noir
grapes were foot trod in large vessels and allowed to cold soak for 2 days to extract color and flavors without fermentation. They were then pressed off of their skins when the color and flavor profile was perfect. The three
lots were vinified separately in traditional French oak barrels to develop depth and complexity of secondary flavors beyond the fruit driven characters. A very small amount of malolactic fermentation was allowed to occur to both soften the palate as well as creating greater depth and nuance, but not so much that the wine would lose its freshness, which is a hallmark of this wine. The wine was bottled in the spring of 2019 and matured sur latte (on its lees) until disgorging during the spring of 2024. Upon disgorgement, it was decided a small dose of 4 g/L would bring perfect balance and mid-palate weight to the youthful intensity of the wine. The wine was aged on cork for an additional 4 months after disgorgement before its release to allow the dosage to integrate and the wine to relax.

Tasting Notes

In the glass, the wine is a delicate rose gold hue with generous and persistent bubbles. The aromas of fresh red fruits leap from the glass; strawberries, rose petals, eucalyptus and hints of pastry and cream. These aromas are translated directly to the palate with strong notes of strawberry shortcake, raspberry sorbet, and the elusive rose petals carrying through on the long palate. The latter note is a character that was pursued in this wine as it is a precursor aroma and flavor of Pinot Noir that is lost as the grapes ripen. The wine has enough texture that it accumulates on the mid palate allowing the freshness to be savored. This mid palate focus is coaxed to a long, clean finish by the addition of a low dosage of 4 g/L. This wine sips like a warm breeze on an end of spring day in  the Willamette. While this is a wine that is drinking exceptionally well on release, it certainly has the potential to develop further with a few years aging.