Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Saturday, May 13, 2023 - A blend of all the seven permitted varieties: Arbanne (15%), Petit Meslier (15%), Pinot Blanc (15%), Pinot Gris(15%), Pinot Meunier (15%), Pinot Noir (13%) and Chardonnay (12%) from four vineyards (La Croisette, La Pie Danse, Martinet and Meltin) planted in 1950, 1970, 1974, 1981, 2001 and 2009 near Epernay. No MLF. Based on the 2017 vintage with 2016 reserve wines. Bottled unfiltered on April 11th, 2018. Disgorged on 25th of May 2021, after three years of aging. 12% alcohol, dosage 2 g/l. Total production 1589 bottles. Tasted blind.

Coppery-peach orange color. The nose feels characterful with aromas of ripe Fuji apples, some bready autolysis, a little bit of bruised Granny Smith apple, light zesty notes of citrus fruit, a hint of juicy white peach, a touch of rowanberry and a leesy whiff of yeast. The wine feels dry, crisp and very savory on the palate with a tightly-knit medium body and crunchy flavors of earthy spices, some mealy red apple, a little bit of tart lingonberries and crowberries, light mineral notes of chalk dust, a hint of savory umami and a touch of tangy salinity. The mousse feels smooth and creamy and the brisk acidity is high. The finish is long, dry and pretty lean with flavors of rowanberries, some apple peel bitterness, a little bit of crowberry, light saline mineral tones, a hint of grapefruit and a touch of nutty autolysis.

A characterful and pretty lean rosé Champagne that is definitely not built to be a crowdpleaser. There is some sense of ripeness here, but the overall feel is very tightly-knit and even slightly austere - thanks to the combination of low dosage, high acidity and no MLF. Although I found the wine pretty enjoyable due to its somewhat unique aromatics and its brisk acidity, I feel it was still a bit on the slightly too austere side and could've used a bit more fruit and maybe either ripeness or dosage. I found the wine slightly more enjoyable than the white 7C (2015 & 2014-based), but not by much. These wines can be a bit harsh - but hopefully some aging could help fixing that!

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