Welcome to our first Friday evening of November! With the holidays now fast approaching, I think one of the most versatile wines to have on hand for dinner gatherings, celebrations, or a last minute gift to bring a host is a classy, and classically styled bottle of rosé Champagne. For my money one of the very best hails from the historic grower Veuve Fourny. Now don’t let the first part of their name fool you, this small, family owned estate in Vertus has nothing to do with the ubiquitous Yellow Label. Instead, brothers Charles-Henry and Emmanuel Fourny source the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for this supremely elegant rosé entirely from their own, sustainably farmed, Premier Cru vineyards. Aged for several months in used oak barrels, and then several years in the bottle, this small production beauty soars above the big name rosé Champagnes out there, and it costs less than almost all of them!
The Veuve Fourny estate was founded in 1856, and the family has been farming and producing Champagne continuously since then. This makes them one of the oldest “grower-producers” operating in the region today (sadly, many growers were forced to limit or cease winemaking altogether during the rough years of phylloxera and then the world wars, selling most or all of their fruit to the big houses instead). Charles-Henry and Emmanuel are the fifth generation winemakers and proprietors here, and have been at the helm since 1993. Though they have certainly overseen improvements and innovations over the past three decades, they are first and foremost stewards of the family estate and of their prized parcels in Vertus.
Located in the center of the Côte de Blancs, Vertus is one of the few villages here that has Premier Cru status for Pinot Noir as well as Chardonnay. Of course, Chardonnay still dominates, but the Fourny brothers skillfully allocate their best Pinot vines into their range of rosé Champagnes, a traditional specialty of their estate. For today’s release they use equal amounts of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with 30% of the Chard coming from reserve vintages. After fermentation, including partial malolactic, the wine is aged for seven months in used Burgundy barrels before bottling and secondary fermentation ensues. After several years of aging in the bottle on the fine lees, the Champagne is disgorged and given a judicious dosage of six grams.
The combination of oak aging, partial malolactic fermentation, and a relatively low dosage all lead to wine that is both rich and spicy, and yet also extremely graceful and precise. The color is a beautifully pale salmon-pink, and looks especially glamorous in a large Burgundy bowl, although an all-purpose stem or even a coup would be just fine. Notes of white raspberries, nectarine, yellow apple skin, and tart cranberry lead the attack, and are followed by savory hints of dried orange peel, rose petals, tilled earth, and a pinch of baking spices. The persistent perlage is a clear marker of top tier Champagne craftsmanship, and indeed I would put this modestly priced bottle up against the very best rosés that the big labels produce. Again, I think this is a perfect bottle of rosé bubbles to have on hand throughout the holiday season, so be sure to grab more than one!
