Winemaker Notes
Champagne Fleur de Miraval is the first Champagne house dedicated exclusively to the production of Rosé. This project, five years in the making, is a collaboration between three families: iconic winemaking families Champagne Pierre Péters, in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Famille Perrin of Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône valley and Château de Miraval owners, the Jolie-Pitt family.
Fleur de Miraval is singular in both its ethos — exclusively Rosé — and production. The house, located in Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, focuses solely on the Côte des Blancs. This first edition is 75% Grand Cru Chardonnay, from Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil, blended with 25% Pinot Noir from Vertus 1er Cru, made in the saignée method. This is a true Côte des Blancs Rosé.
The Chardonnay comes from a perpetual cuvée started in 2007, a system that winemaker Rodolphe Péters has perfected at his family domaine. In addition to the complexity gained by older wines held in perpetual reserve, thousands of bottles of perfectly stored and finished mature champagnes were opened, tasted, and blended into Fleur de Miraval. This process, "remise en cercles", further deepens the flavor andcomplexity of this extraordinary wine. Dealing with older reserves is labor-intensive and relies on the skill of the winemaker to ensure that the best result is achieved. It is a method that Péters developed for his own centennial "Héritage" cuvée with huge success.
"Our choices for our Champagne quickly turned towards the noble autolytic aromas of Chardonnay – almond, hazelnut, an elegant butteriness - all supported by superb tension and incredible freshness," explains Rodolphe. The saignée method for making rosé is rare in Champagne and notoriously difficult: "It is more art than science" to get the balance of flavors and texture correct. "We very quickly agreed that wewanted to make just rosé, but it had to be a rosé that represented who we are - an exceptional rosé that had never been produced before," said Péters. Every detail of Fleur de Miraval has been considered from the exacting and singular method of production to the unique lacquered bottle, designed to protect the Champagne from "goût de lumière" or "taste of light", a flaw that that Champagne is particularly sensitive to. With Fleur de Miraval Rosé, Champagne has a new standard-bearer, an elegant wine, and a singular experience.
Total Production: 20,000 bottles of the first edition, named ER1 for Edition Rosé, first year. ER1 is actually sandblasted on the bottle above the label and it can start a collection.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This is a great opportunity to retaste the debut release, 10 months on. The ambition has all along focused on the marriage of a youthful fruit-driven rosé de saignée with a mature Chardonnay that has been sourced both from bottle and from the Perpetual Reserve, a feat far from easy to pull off with success, one would have thought. The good news Is that the wine continues to improve as the integration of the red fruits, fresh and energetic, with the more mature honied and autolytic Chardonnay becomes ever more convincing. Quite an achievement and one will watch the next releases with interest, as Rodolphe and Pierre raise the stakes yet further by effectively dropping the component of young/base Chardonnay and thereby, in theory, making the contrast even more marked.
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Wine Spectator
A pale rosé Champagne, lightly copper in color, with an appealing nose of ripe fruit and spice. Lightly mouthwatering and satin-like on the palate, a harmonious version that layers ripe notes of white cherry, blood orange sorbet and nectarine with savory accents of salted almond, oyster shell and saffron. Not a powerhouse, but finely-detailed throughout, and long on the well-cut finish. Drink now through 2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based on the 2016 vintage, the NV Exclusivement Rosé 1 is the impressive debut release from Fleur de Miraval. Bursting with aromas of blood orange, white tea, raspberries, lemon, warm bread and biscuits, it's full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with a vinous profile and tangy acids, concluding with a mineral finish. It's a blend of some 25% rosé de saignée from Vertus, with the balance Chardonnay, the base vintage being complemented by around one-third reserve wines dating back to 2012 (which Péters created from bottles "remis en circle"), which are now stored in a wooden foudre.
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James Suckling
Aromas of dried strawberries and flowers with some fresh peaches and white pepper. Fragrant wine. Full-bodied with a creamy texture, fine bubbles and a fresh, delicious and soft finish. A friendly and delicious wine. From actor Brad Pitt and his French wine project called Miraval. Drink now.
What are the different types of sparkling rosé wine?
Rosé sparkling wines like Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and others make a fun and festive alternative to regular bubbles—but don’t snub these as not as important as their clear counterparts. Rosé Champagnes (i.e., those coming from the Champagne region of France) are made in the same basic way as regular Champagne, from the same grapes and the same region. Most other regions where sparkling wine is produced, and where red grape varieties also grow, also make a rosé version.
How is sparkling rosé wine made?
There are two main methods to make rosé sparkling wine. Typically, either white wine is blended with red wine to make a rosé base wine, or only red grapes are used but spend a short period of time on their skins (maceration) to make rosé colored juice before pressing and fermentation. In either case the base wine goes through a second fermentation (the one that makes the bubbles) through any of the various sparkling wine making methods.
What gives rosé Champagne and sparkling wine their color and bubbles?
The bubbles in sparkling wine are formed when the base wine undergoes a secondary fermentation, which traps carbon dioxide inside the bottle or fermentation vessel. During this stage, the yeast cells can absorb some of the wine’s color but for the most part, the pink hue remains.
How do you serve rosé sparkling wine?
Treat rosé sparkling wine as you would treat any Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and other sparkling wine of comparable quality. For storing in any long-term sense, these should be kept at cellar temperature, about 55F. For serving, cool to about 40F to 50F. As for drinking, the best glasses have a stem and a flute or tulip shape to allow the bead (bubbles) and beautiful rosé hue to show.
How long do rosé Champagne and sparkling wine last?
Most rosé versions of Prosecco, Champagne, Cava or others around the “$20 and under” price point are intended for early consumption. Those made using the traditional method with extended cellar time before release (e.g., Champagne or Crémant) can typically improve with age. If you are unsure, definitely consult our Customer Care team for guidance.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’