Two 2024
'Two' is the second release in Kinsbrook's 2024 series of three still wines - a run the West Sussex vineyard made after a properly difficult growing year. 2024 was their second-most challenging farming season on record, with heavy rain and high humidity right through summer. Most of the fruit that came through went into sparkling wine, which copes well with higher-acid grapes, but a handful of parcels were set aside for these three stills instead, each built around a different winemaking technique.
For 'Two', that technique is skin contact. It's a blend of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir left on the skins before an extended spell on the fine lees in tank, built to add body and richness rather than just colour. The result is a peachy-orange rosé that leans on weight and texture, with the Pinot's own red fruit character brought in to balance it.
The review
Kinsbrook calls Two a foodie's rosé, and I happily put that to the test during a dinner at their vineyard (excellent, by the way). The evening encompassed dishes that included aubergine, feta, pork belly, and grilled peach, and Two never felt out of place.
The wine pours like a shimmering ruby - a deeper red than the thankfully waning trend of as-pale-as-possible rosés - thanks to extended skin contact.
Fresh strawberry and raspberry bursts out at first, with red plum right behind and sour cherry gently zinging along underneath, allowing it to live up to the complexity its hue promises. The body is well-balanced: full enough to carry the flavour, light enough to retain fresh juiciness.
From farm to table to my mouth, Two sounds like a polite suggestion - one glass is not going to be enough.