Champagne Rosélie Rosé - Pinot Meunier

Pinot Meunier | 2 verschillende wijngaarden in de Montagne de Reims | 'Les Limons' in Vrigny en 'Les Linguets' in Gueux | 30 tot 51 jaar oude stokken | compacte 'Thanecian' zandbodems | Rosé de Saignée met 24 uur maceratie | gisting en rijping voor 8-10 maanden in staaltank | 3 jaar sur lattes gerijpt | dosage 2 g/l | na degorgeren nog 6 maanden rijping voordat de wijn het domein verlaat | bosbes | framboos | helder | fris | zacht en rond | zilt | fijne structuur | lang | 3900 flessen

Roger Coulon

De trip naar Frankrijk in '22 heeft duidelijk zijn vruchten afgeworpen. Deze toevoeging aan ons portfolio is dan ook zeer welkom. En top recept van een lange geschiedenis die nu wordt gerund door de jongste generatie, daar houden we van. De wijnen laten dit ook echt zien. Het zijn wijnen met klasse, gelaagdheid, elegantie, complexiteit, diepgang en plezier. Alles komt hier samen. Vader en zoon Edgar en Eric zijn onderweg om zich te voegen aan de club Champagne huizen die we graag zien; 'Grower Champagne'. Alles van eigen hand en eigen wijngaarden. Traditioneel en artisanaal. 

Review

Coulon's salmon-onion colored NV Rosé de Saignée Rosélie (disgorged in November 2017) is pure Pinot Meunier and offers a very clear, aromatic bouquet of perfectly ripe red fruits. Round and intense on the palate, this is an elegant, wide and generous yet dry and piquant rosé with a clear, fresh and salty finish. Pretty complex and fine, with a long, well-structured finish, this should be great with smoked salmon or red fruit desserts that are not too sweet. Tasted April 2018. (Entirely based on one vintage, here 2014 or 2015, he doesn't remember.) 91/100 Stephan Reinhardt

Eric Coulon is the eighth generation of a family of vignerons that has cultivated vineyards in the premier cru village of Vrigny, Montagne de Reims, since 1806. To pay tribute, the domaine kept the name of Eric's father, Roger Coulon, who died when Eric was 14 years old. Today, Eric and his wife, Isabelle, farm more than 100 parcels of vineyards, which add up to 11 hectares and are spread across six communes, including the Côte des Blancs. "It's a mosaic of plots and parcels, but they virtually all face east, which is important for me because it's the best exposition and the exposition of most of the grand crus," Eric says. He cultivates mainly Pinot Meunier (40%) as well as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in equal parts and keeps the yields very low. There are two main things that are important to understand the light, discreet, delicate and harmonious style of Roger Coulon. First, there is no chaptalization, as Eric prefers lower alcohol wines and tends to find Champagnes imbalanced when they exceed 12% alcohol. Second, he prefers a moderate and elegant spume and pressure. That's why he adds less sugar to start the second fermentation and keeps the pressure at five rather than six atmospheres. "It's the style my grandfather used to cultivate rather than my father," Eric says. In fact, it was his grandfather who trained him to handcraft Champagne like it was done 100 years ago. "Just the dosage is much lower today than it used to be in the old days..." After the press, the must is fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the best wines are aged in tonneaux for up to 24 months before the bottling. There is no stirring of the lees and no fining. After the disgorgement, the cuvées are kept for another six months in the domaine before they are shipped into the different markets.