2010 Crabtree Watervale Clare Valley Bay of Biscay Grenache Rose

This is a good rose. Put it on your small list of such. Beautiful bottle and label too - black and white, leaf image, grey-scale background printing. Leaf embedded on twist top. It's from relatively old vines: 1946 Bay of Biscay grenache and 1968 Brysyk family plantings nearby. Hand-pciked, retained on skins 48 hrs. French, cool tank fermeting. Wine maker: Kerri Thompson. It's a beautiful clear, blood-red colour.Some marshallow in the aroma (even peanutty) but not much. Even that descirption is a bit of a stretch. On the palate it's almost bitter, but not unpleasant because it is good to have a dry rose. $18 Sunrise Cellars Byron Bay. Thompson has her own website http://www.ktandthefalcon.com.au/kerrithompson.html and wine business KT. This Alpha Range Crabtree wine is a 'unique' collection of award-winning wines or so says the website. Bay of Biscay 'soil is a heavy sticky, black clay that holds moisture well. Not ideal for red wine making but ideal for our Rose'.