Diebolt-Vallois Brut Rose NV

Brut Rose NV 93pts
Diebolt-Vallois
Cramant, Champagne

Diebolt is first a Cote des Blancs Grand Cru house, so it is of no surprise their focused and chalk infused brut rose is really an "extra brut" at 3 g/l and tastes like it too!  A blend of 63% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier and 27% Chardonnay from the 2014 and 2015 vintages.

Tasted Yesterday: Light pink with a touch of copper at the core. More intense nose this time around (also open for longer than the first time) - a complex med+ set of fresh red berry and zesty orange and other citrus fruits, and a chalky minerality. On the palate a core of chalky minerality is wrapped in the sappy and juicy red raspberries and spring strawberries, mandarin. The palate is med/med+ in weight with racy acidity. Finishes clean, fresh and long!

93 Wine Spectator
Richly spiced, soft and creamy in texture, this well-cut Champagne layers clove and cardamom notes with blackberry, biscuit, white peach and sliced almond flavors. Shows power, but remains well-knit and elegant overall.

Varieties used:
63% Pinot Noir,
27% Chardonnay,
10% Pinot Meunier

Terroir:  The grapes come mainly from the fields known as Les Toulettes in Epernay.
Vinification:  Fermentation in thermostatically controlled vats.
Blended rosé: addition of Bouzy Rouge (grand cru).
Dosage: 3 g/l

The Diebolt-Vallois families can trace their winemaking history back to the 1500s. The namesake Diebolt Vallois came into being with Jacques and Nadia hanging out their proverbial shingle in Cramant in 1959. They have long made focused and precise styles of Blanc de Blancs that harken back to the best of the Cote de Blancs: think Delamotte and their peer Pierre Peters. The elder generation has largely handed the reigns to their children Arnaud and Isabelle.  Isabelle is married to Jean-Paul Hébrart, so this is very much a family tied to the expression of grower Champagne. It is Isabelle that focuses her perfectionist tendencies towards raising the bar that her parents have set. The family has 11 hectares of vines mostly across the northern section of the Cotes de Blancs with a smattering of vineyards elsewhere.