Finca Museum Cigales Rose

Finca Museum is based in Cigales, a small Castilla y León DO east of Valladolid. Although the area was once known for its dry rosados (or Clarete), a result of co-fermenting field blends of red and white varieties, it is the Tinta del País, a thicker-skinned Tempranillo, that excels today. As the name suggests, the winery is also a museum, boasting sculptures and paintings dating back to the 17th century.

The extreme continental climate of Cigales (with temperatures ranging from 40°C in the summer to -10°C in the winter) and its soils poor in organic matter, combine to ensure both low yields and excellent wines. The soils are so poor that other crops such as cereal cannot grow. It is primarily for this reason that the vines, many now over 40 years old, have survived in Cigales. These low-yielding, high-elevation bush vines, planted up to 800m above sea level, produce very thick-skinned grapes, resulting in wines of intense colour and concentration. Finca Museum owns 185 hectares of vineyards, with a further 100 hectares of old bush vines (over 50 years old) bought from growers on long-term contracts. All their vineyards are hand-harvested, with great care taken in selecting the grapes before crushing. An average of five per cent of the grapes are rejected during this selection process. In 2023, Finca Museum was certified by Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP), the first and only certification specifically designed for the wine sector regarding environmental sustainability.

Made in the traditional, dry rosado style, with estate-grown fruit sourced from several vineyards across Cigales, the new Finca Museum Rosé blends organically harvested Tempranillo (90%) and Verdejo grapes. The yields for these grapes are exceptionally low, due to a combination of vine age and pebbly soils, resulting in deep flavour intensity. The high-elevation location also creates added freshness, which compliments the fragrant fruit profile.</p>

Tempranillo, Verdejo

The grapes for this Finca Museum Rosé are sourced from several vineyards across the Finca Museum estate in the D.O of Cigales. The vineyards are planted atop a layer of pebbles that gather heat during the hot summer days through to the beginning of autumn, and release it at night, helping the phenols and flavours in the grape to ripen perfectly. These conditions, combined with the age of the vines, which are over 50 years old for the most part, mean that very low yields are produced, giving great quality and concentration of flavour in turn. The grapes also benefit from being planted at altitudes of around 800 metres above the sea level, bringing freshness to the finished wine. All the plots are worked manually, using organic fertilisers such as sheep manure. The vines are goblet trained.

The grapes were harvested by hand to allow for attentive selection in the vineyard. They were then carefully carried in small boxes to the winery so they could be processed on the sorting table allowing for further selection. After processing, they were directly pressed. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel tanks and was followed by only one month of ageing on lees to preserve the freshest aromatic expression.

In the glass, the wine is pale pink in colour. Floral aromas are accompanied by hints of stone fruit, peach, and green apple on the nose. On the palate, the wine shows beautifully balanced acidity, with the floral and fruity notes lingering on the finish.

If you love Provence, try this! Great with pork, sea foods and summer itself.