Old Coach Road Nelson Rosé 2025

90 Points (4.5 Stars) - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, New Zealand, June 2025

Vineyard: Seifried Brightwater and Clover Road vineyards
Date of Harvest: Late March 2025
pH of Wine: 3.21
T.A of Wine: 6.0g/L
Residual Sugar of Wine: 7.9g/L
Alcohol: 12.5%
Suitable for Vegetarian and Vegans: Yes

Our Brightwater vineyard lies about 15km from the coast and is nestled under the Richmond Ranges on the southern end of the Waimea Plains. The soil is a combination of rocks and river boulders, which is hard on farm equipment but vital for holding the warmth of Nelson’s sun and ripening grapes. Low nutrient and water levels in the vineyard help to restrict plant vigour, producing fruit with lively, concentrated flavour. To further enhance aromatics, we remove leaves to allow light penetration and air movement around the fruiting zone.

Our Clover Road vineyard sits alongside the Wairoa River, about 15km from the coast. The very stony, free-draining soils have low water-holding capacity, with large stones helping to retain warmth from the Nelson sun. This vineyard produces fruit with lively character and bright varietal flavour.

The fruit for our Old Coach Road Rosé comes from our Brightwater and Clover Road vineyards. Parcels of Malbec were picked incrementally in March 2025 at peak of flavour and phenolic ripeness. Drained juice was settled, warmed and inoculated for a clean, crisp, fermentation to retain the lovely fruit characters. The wine had a brief period on yeast lees, to add palate texture, before being stabilised and bottled in June 2025.