Our team and our subscribers both have an insatiable thirst for Champagne. And because we’re exposed to so much great Champagne, other sparklers of the world tend to suffer by comparison. But not this one. No, this wine from Alsatian luminary Jacques Cattin reminds us that “Crémant” is a word freighted with significance for sparkling wine fanatics.
A Crémant is a sparkling wine made in the “Champagne method” in regions of France other than Champagne itself. Like Burgundy. The Loire. And, in today’s case, Alsace. Is Alsace as desirable a terroir for Pinot Noir as Champagne? I’d say yes, and yet this 100% Pinot Noir Crémant from GRAND C, which ages 24 months on its lees, will set you back just $32—not to mention it's better than most of the under-$50 Rosé Champagne we try these days! GRAND C not only draws upon impeccable vineyard holdings of famed Domaine Joseph Cattin but the discerning palate of Axel Wulfken, late of Moët & Chandon, who is Cattin’s partner-in-crime at Grand C. What they’ve created here is a rosé that is Champagne’s equal in every way except price. This is one to hoard for the holiday season and beyond—it’s remarkable stuff!
The Joseph Cattin estate, based in the village of Voegtlinshoffen and now encompassing some 65 hectares of vineyards, is one of the largest family-owned properties in Alsace. The family’s roots in the area date to the 1700s, with current proprietor Jacques Cattin representing the 11th generation of the family to produce wine here. In addition to a prized parcel in Grand Cru “Hatschbourg,” which sits very close to the winery itself, the Cattins also farm some of Alsace’s most prized Pinot Noir in the village of Steinbach, at the southern end of the appellation. The Pinot Noir plots in Steinbach, blessed with perfect south-southeast exposures and composed of soils rich in iron and sandstone, supply grapes not just for the Joseph Cattin domaine’s sought-after still red from Pinot Noir but this Crémant Rosé from GRAND C.
In search of a new sparkling wine adventure after Moët & Chandon, Axel Wulfken found a kindred spirit in Cattin, whose family already enjoys wide acclaim for its Crémant d’Alsace production. For their GRAND C bottling, the partners utilized only the first pressing of 100% Pinot Noir and aged the wine on its lees in bottle for 24 months—significantly longer than the nine months required by law for Crémants.
Had you told me this was a rosé from Champagne costing $50-plus, I would have believed you, and I would have been willing to pay it—so you can imagine my delight when its actual price was revealed. A beautiful salmon-pink at its core, it lightens to a translucent pink at the rim, infused with a delicate bead of mousse. Aromatically perfect, the wine opens with perfumed rose petals joined by fragrant strawberry, light citrus blossom, faint wet rock, and delicate oyster shell. The medium-bodied palate adds bright red fruit—cherry and cranberry flavors—delivered with rich textures, exciting tension, and a beautiful balance of acidity and mineral character. The wine has real weight and legs to carry it beyond the opening toast and into dinner’s main event. (Sparkling wines in general are incredible food partners, as we never tire of pointing.) It put me in mind of a tender salmon fillet—way more than a color match (although that’s pretty cool), the wine’s delicate effervescence offers a frisson of tension against the rich fish, with the barest sweet-savory echo on both sides. Chill the rosé to 45-50 degrees and serve it in all-purpose white wine stems or flared Champagne—excuse me, Crémant—flutes. There are lots of occasions for this wine to shine, and at this price, no barrier to bringing it out early and often. Enjoy!
