Given how many Champagne geeks we count among our subscribers, we’re always on the lookout for new and interesting bottlings—and they don’t always have to come from the small ‘grower-producers’ we write so much about.
Today we have a very small amount of the vintage 2009 Brut Rosé from Champagne Deutz, a medium-sized ‘grande marque’ headquartered in the village of Äy. This vintage-dated wine, from the powerful 2009 vintage, is a very classic style, with a lighter, more coppery color and an emphasis on finesse and elegance over brute force. It’s a really refined rosé, and we expect it to sell out quickly; as such we’re limiting purchases to 3 bottles per customer.
Fans of Dom Pérignon Rosé will find some kindred qualities in this wine, albeit at a gentler price point: Deutz’s ’09 is about 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, with the Pinot coming primarily from Grand Cru vineyards on the Montagne de Reims. This wine always has a very bright and distinct salmon-pink color, and plenty of depth from 3+ years aging on its lees. And while appearance/color isn’t always consistent with the character of a wine, it is here: the ‘red’ fruit qualities are delicate and high-toned (pomegranate, currant) and layered with notes of ginger, brioche, and white flowers. The finish is long and satisfyingly smoky and mineral. It’s heady, but not heavy—a balancing act great Champagne pulls off better than perhaps any other style of wine. It would make an amazing apéritif alongside some good smoked salmon, or a very aristocratic pairing with something exotic like an Indian Prawn Curry (see recipe). You might also choose to cellar this for a few years so that its flavors deepen and its texture broadens—making it an even better food wine and a more profound Champagne experience. Either way, air it out in open-mouthed flutes or white wine glasses and let the temperature come up to about 50 degrees, to best enjoy its ‘vinous’ refinement.