Noughty Rosé

The wine

Summer berries and fresh apricot. The nose holds. It smells like a still rosé, fruit-first, without a yeast note and without the candy edge a sweet pink often has.

The palate is balanced and a little soft. Berry and apricot sit on a light frame. There is a tint of darker fruit, not a tannin. It is not sparkling, and it should not be asked to behave like one: the snap of a bead is absent, and the wine is quieter for it. Acidity is present without being bright enough to feel taut. The middle is pleasant and not deep.

Fruit lingers, gently. Less snap than a sparkling wine of the same fruit, and more of a fade. Serve it chilled, in a white-wine glass. Very cold, the apricot stays fresh. As it warms, the berry turns jammy and the wine feels softer than it should.

Drink it as a still rosé. The fruit is recognizable, the texture is easy, and the finish does not argue. Grip is not there. Berry and apricot are, and they are in proportion. Chill it and pour it in a white-wine glass. The softness is the style, not a fault to correct. The apricot is enough. Berry first, then a soft, quiet fade.