The Ci Confonde Rosé, one of three sisters of wines that we make under the Ci Confonde name, has always been a bit of a calling card for us. We've been making this wine since 2013 and it, like its two siblings, has become one of our most popular bottles. Grown in the Vergennes vineyard on clay and limestone, this Frontenac Gris is a bit of a moonstone when it comes to varieties; some years the rose is dark fuchsia, other years the bubbles are pale salmon. It all depends on the season, when we have rain and when we have sun. In 2023, we had an early hot spring then a lot of rain all season long with which resulted in a beautiful pink with just a tinge of orange, like a sunset over water. This wine is bright with acidity, a fine beaded necklace of bubbles, and floral like the best alpine strawberries.

WE LIKE THIS WINE WITH
Shrimp cocktail
Cured salmon with fresh lemon and capers
Taramasala
Smoked bluefish
Fried red or white fish
Onion rings
Chicken roasted with olives and rosemary

HOW TO STORE THIS WINE: store me upright

Sparkling Rosé Wine of Vermont

Ci Confonde Rosé

VARIETY / Frontenac Gris
VINEYARD / Les Carouges Vineyard - Vergennes {Champlain Valley, Vermont}
CELLAR / Indigenous yeasts, no filtering or fining. No added sulfites.
ALC/VOL / 11%

LES CAROUGES VINEYARD

Vergennes, Vermont

This vineyard on clay, limestone, and shale, is defined by wide-open space full of the epic romance of a mythic novel, grand gestures, battles of bravery, lost and found love, stories of courage and heart, and is protected by Les Carouges, the red-winged blackbirds who make nests in the vines for the season.

SOIL / clay, limestone and shale
ELEVATION / 252 feet. Valley floor
AGRICULTURE / regenerative, practicing biodynamic, forest edge ecology, rotational grazing
VINEYARD LIFE / clover, wild carrot, dandelion, mugwort, burdock, thistle, elderflower, purple vetch, chicory, nettle, climbing nightshade, foxtail
MICROCLIMATE / intensely hot and humid summers, western facing with sun all day long. Wind in the morning and still evenings. Cold, damp winters with windchills. Some snow.
FRUIT GROWN / Marquette, La Crescent, Front Gris, Brianna
SIZE / 4 acres {1.6 hectares}