About this WINE
Champagne blend
Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
26% of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.
Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district.
The final component is Pinot Meunier and this constitutes nearly 35% of the plantings. Its durability and resistance to spring frosts make the Marne Valley, a notorious frost pocket, its natural home. It ripens well in poor years and produces a soft, fruity style of wine that is ideal for blending with the more assertive flavours of Pinot Noir. Producers allege that Pinot Meunier lacks ageing potential, but this does not deter Krug from including around 15% of it in their final blends.
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Description
Described, somewhat immodestly, by Gratien as a ‘foretaste of paradise’, this Rosé bears all the hall-marks of the House style, the key features of which are fermentation in small ( Chablisien) barrels and suppression of the malolactic fermentation.
Made by assemblage with 10% of Bouzy Rouge added, this is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. A gentle onion-skin colour belies powerful aromatics of orange peel and raspberry sorbet and then a persuasive and heady mid-palate and richly satisfying finish. A deferred purchase would only postpone paradise, so why delay?
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer
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